Alicia Vikander on the Creative Challenges of Irma Vep

We were joined by Alicia Vikander to discuss her incredible work in the HBO series Irma Vep. She shared how she navigated stepping into a world where she's playing an actor who is playing a character in a series based off of a film, and the moments that became very meta as a result of this. Throughout her friendship with writer and director Olivier Assayas over the years, she had hoped to work with him one day and was both intrigued and excited when he suggested the world of Irma Vep for a collaboration. There were instances in the series where she had the chance to tap into her own creative process in exploring how her character would take on her own role. She also discussed how the iconic catsuit in the series created certain movements and filming scenes climbing over the skylines of Paris. This ended up being a role which creatively challenged her in all the ways she had hoped it would.

Watch the full conversation below.

Q&A on the HBO series Irma Vep with actor Alicia Vikander.

Mira (Alicia Vikander) is an American movie star disillusioned by her career and a recent breakup, who comes to France to star as "Irma Vep" in a remake of the French silent film classic, Les Vampires. Set against the backdrop of a lurid crime thriller, Mira struggles as the distinctions between herself and the character she plays begin to blur and merge. Irma Vep reveals to us the uncertain ground that lies at the border of fiction and reality, artifice and authenticity, art and life.