Exclusive: Who Is Alicia Vikander and Why Does Everyone Care?

Alicia Vikander in the June/July issue of Interview. Photography by Craig McDean for Interview Magazine

Meet the suddenly-everywhere movie star in Interview’s new issue.

Caitlyn Jenner isn’t the only starlet debuting her first magazine cover this week. There’s also Alicia Vikander, the Swedish actress poised to be 2015’s Jessica Chastain—a.k.a the stranger who’s suddenly a movie star.

For proof, head to IMDB, where Michael Fassbender’s rumored girlfriend boasts six upcoming projects, and future co-stars like Bradley Cooper, Eddie Redmayne, and Cara Delevingne.  (She’s also the newest face of Louis Vuitton.)

As part of her newfound star status, Vikander covers Interview magazine, shot by Craig McDean as part of a triple set: emerging actors Jai Courtney and Domnhall Gleeson scored the other two slots.

In this exclusive excerpt, see what we learned about the 26-year-old Libra from the Interview interview, conducted by her Anna Karenina director Joe Wright:

In Hollywood, her days as a ballerina came back to haunt her:

“After dancing six days a week several hours every day [at the Royal Swedish Ballet], when I quit, I did not take one class until Anna Karenina,” when the script called for a waltz with Aaron Taylor-Johnson.  “[Film] brought me back into the dance studio for the first time.”

Alicia Vikander on the June/July cover of Interview. Photography by Craig McDean

Working with Eddie Redmayne Can Be “Claustrophobic”

“The Danish Girl [about one of the world’s first transsexuals] is another emotionally intense project. [Co-star] Eddie Redmayne is an extraordinary actor, and a big part of the film was mostly just the two of us in quite a tight space in a studio. It was claustrophobic, digging so deep in a lot of issues, and very complicated relationships. And it’s exactly what I want to be doing because it’s extremely complicated and tough.”

She Likes Playing the Love Interest

I think I’m a big romantic, so being part of [love] stories, that’s such a big part of anyone’s life in general, that’s such a humane thing.”

PS: This Interview issue may be all about rising talent, but it’s got one Hollywood mega-twist: Angelina Jolie takes on the role of contributing writer to quiz Gleeson—one of her Unbroken actors—in his cover story. #Overachiever alert!

Related: San Andreas Star Carla Gugino Talks Style, Stunts, & Why the Marriage Question Doesn’t Bother Her Anymore

Related: Maddie Ziegler On Zendaya’s Style, How Sia’s “Like Family,” & Why Shia LaBeouf Makes Her Nervous