New Lara Croft Actress Secretly Played the Game as a Kid

Tomb Raider fans may be happy to lean that the new Lara Croft movie actress, Alicia Vikander, has played the game. She did so against her parents' wishes, she said in the latest issue of Total Film, as reported by GamesRadar.

"I didn't have many girlfriends who shared that interest, but I really loved it," she explained. "I did play Tomb Raider back then, even though my parents said I wasn't allowed to."

Vikander, who won an Oscar for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role for her part in The Danish Girl, was announced as the new Lara Croft at the end of April.

Not every actor in a video game movie has played the source material. For example, Assassin's Creed star Michael Fassbender said he never played the Assassin's Creed games, while Warcraft lead Travis Fimmel admitted he had no idea what Warcraft even was before signing on to make the movie.

Also in the interview, Vikander said she's excited for the challenge of the new movie's action sequences, of which we'd expect there to be many.

"I danced for many years. I really enjoy the aspect of being able to work with my physicality," she said. "In one way, I can probably do that unconsciously. But in this, it's going to be a whole other level. It's always wonderful when you get the chance to try things out that you never thought you would be able to do, to push yourself and your boundaries."

Star Wars actress Daisy Ridley was was in talks for the leading role in the movie, but according to Variety, Vikander was always the top choice.

The new Tomb Raider movie represents a reboot for the film franchise. The last movie in the series was 2003's Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life, which, like the first Tomb Raider film, starred Angelina Jolie in the lead role.

No release date has been announced for the new Tomb Raider film, though we do know it will be directed by Roar Uthaug, who was also behind the camera for The Wave and Escape.