Lara Croft has seen many iterations over the years, from the pointy polygonal archaeologist of the original games to the hardened survivor of the recent Tomb Raider reboots. And as it turns out, Alicia Vikander - star of the upcoming Tomb Raider film - has a place in her heart for Lara's earliest and latest incarnations alike. In our recent interview with Alicia Vikander, she revealed her favorite game from the series, which traces back to fond childhood memories.
"I would say the first Tomb Raider meant a lot, in the sense that I love adventure films, [and here was] a game where I suddenly could go to Egypt, or Atlantis - those were the worlds that I read books about and dreamt to go to when I was a child," says Vikander. "That will always mean a lot, because I was quite young."
Granted, her love for the original game was as much about watching it being played as playing herself - the wolves of Peru proved to be a bit too much back then. "I did not have a Playstation at home, sadly - but with my family friends, the boys in their family had a Playstation," Vikander recalls. "I was probably I think around 10ish when I came there. I remember I looked at the TV screen and I had never seen a girl, a woman being the protagonist in a video game and was thrilled and stood there just watching. They wouldn't really let me play, but later on I got the chance. I mostly spent my time back then in the Manor training, because I came to a scene where there were wolves, and that freaked me out. I didn't do that until my late teens, when I played the Anniversary version of the first game."
Vikander also has love for the Lara Croft's modern adventures in Crystal Dynamics' 2013 and 2015 Tomb Raider games, which serve as the basis for the plot and tone of the new movie. "The rebooted games I think are really impressive, because I love the fact that they've dared to go as far as they've done, relying on good storytelling," says Vikander. "It's a proper arc and feels very cinematic - that, I think, is very cool."
Tomb Raider comes to theaters on March 16, following Lara Croft's journey to find her lost father on the treacherous island of Yamatai. Until then, you should read our full interview with Vikander, in which she tells us - among other things - the inventive way she plans to use the Oscar that she won for her performance in The Danish Girl.
Tomb Raider is among the best upcoming movies of 2018. Check out our list to see what else awaits later this year!
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