Alicia Vikander Says Fame Made Her Miserable: ‘I Was Always by Myself’
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Oscar-winner Alicia Vikander (“The Danish Girl”) has a career that balances blockbusters like “The Man From U.N.C.L.E.” and “Tomb Raider” with art films “The Green Knight” and “Ex Machina” and prestige TV with “Irma Vep.” However, in an interview with The Sunday Times, the actress opened up about the loneliness and isolation that work inspired.
“When, in other people’s eyes, I was at my height of fame, I was the most sad,” Vikander said. “I kept telling myself, ‘Take it in. It is incredible.’ But I didn’t know what to do. There were all these first-class flights, five-star rooms. But I was always by myself.”
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The experience gave her more empathy for people in the entertainment industry, as it gave her a first-hand look at the loneliness that plagues many of her colleagues.
“It was very lonely,” she said. “If I didn’t have my friends to call, it would have been difficult. I’ve seen what can happen to people in my industry.”
While she acknowledged that everyone faces hardships, the uniquely public nature of her job makes it much harder to step away and take care of herself in private.
“Sometimes you go through things that are tough in life and if you have an office job you can step away for a bit,” she said. “But there are times that myself or colleagues have been through something and, well, I can’t understand how they went on to the red carpet afterwards”
This isn’t the first time that Vikander has spoken out about the darker side of life as a famous actress. She recently opened up about her uncomfortable experiences filming nude scenes without adequate support from crew members.
“I’ve been in situations that were not fine, where I didn’t feel I was protected,” she said. “The only thing that can’t be improvised is an intimate scene — you have to make choreography and stick to it. It’s the worst thing ever to do those scenes.”
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