Alicia Vikander, Soon to Be Seen in ‘The Last Day’ and ‘Hope,’ Talks Motherhood and Work: ‘I Need to Do Both’

Alicia Vikander opened up about her family life at the Zurich Film Festival, where she received the Golden Eye Award.

“Sometimes, [preparing for a role] is boring and tedious. My three-year-old is wondering what’s going on, because I’m locking the doors and talking to myself,” she laughed.

“When I am done, I get very tired. Acting is physically and emotionally draining. I have two young children now, I was pregnant when making that film and that’s where most of my time goes when I am not working,” said the Swedish actor, fresh off dystopian sci-fi “The Assessment.”

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Vikander’s growing multilingual family – the actor is married to Michael Fassbender – aroused festival audience’s curiosity.

“My six-month-old doesn’t speak much, but my three-year-old speaks Portuguese, English and Swedish. Recently, he was hanging out with some kids and now there’s also a bit of Spanish. He’s giving me language courses now!”

She will keep things international also in her next projects, Rachel Rose’s “The Last Day,” set in New York – “It’s the modern take on ‘Mrs Dalloway,’” she said – and “Hope,” directed by South Korean director Na Hong-jin, known for “the Chaser” and “The Wailing.”

“I’ve been a huge admirer of his for many years. It’s a small part, but it’s like a ‘part one.’ If we continue further with this film, my character can develop into something much bigger.” “Hope” will also see her reunite with Fassbender.

“Success is getting to do what I love. I had my second child and it’s an incredible time. I love being a mother, but I need to do both. I remember being on set and there was all this commotion, we had no time, but I looked around and thought: ‘Wow, I am so happy,’” she said.

In Fleur Fortune’s “The Assessment,” potential parents need to prove themselves first.

“The script was a page-turner and that rarely happens. I was surprised by its thriller aspects. You never really know where it’s going. I was also blown away by Fleur’s confidence in her filmmaking.”

The filmmaker is usually “the main reason” why she decides to do a project.

“This script was really quite something, but I wouldn’t have done it if it wasn’t for Fleur. It’s about the whole experience and you want to believe in it, but it’s the director’s vision you’re stepping into. That’s where I put my bets,” said Vikander.

“People ask me: What do the best directors do? They do the least. It’s all [about] facilitating. We felt free to explore and try a lot of things.”

Vikander listed films that changed her career. From feature debut “Pure” – “Joe Wright saw it and that’s how I had my first meeting with him for ‘Anna Karenina,’” she recalled – to “A Royal Affair,” “Tomb Rider” – “I grew up dreaming of being in films like that” – and “The Danish Girl,” which earned her an Academy Award.

“It changed my life. I still can’t get my head around the fact I got that award. I was so young and it just showed me I was making something people enjoyed. It made it possible for me to continue and help make smaller films. In the end, it’s about all these months going into it that I take away with me. It’s not the final product,” she admitted.

“You sit at home, you are in your thoughts and it’s not until you get on the set when suddenly, scenes just become alive. That’s the magic: it happens beyond your control.”

She might produce more in the future: “I love it. There is a joy in being able to find people you want to work with and being more in control.” But acting has been in her blood since the very beginning.

“I grew up with my mum, who was a stage actress. Once I saw this poster about auditioning for a musical. Other actors’ children were going, I was 5 years old and wanted to go too. She said: ‘No way.’ I totally get it now, but apparently, I had a tantrum for about two weeks.”

In the end, she got her way.

“I did get one of the parts. [‘Kristina from Duvemåla’] was written by Björn and Benny [Ulvaeus and Andersson] from ABBA and it was the biggest hit. It was based on famous novels about Swedish immigrants who traveled to America. I ended up playing all the children, starting with the youngest. By the time I finished, I was doing it for half of my life.”