Noomi Rapacehad no time to be sheepish on the set ofLamb.
“I didn’t have any time to practice,” the Swedish actress recalls with a laugh.
“I had this rush of adrenaline right before we started.
Hilmir Snær Guðnason and Noomi Rapace in a baaa-d spot in ‘Lamb’.A24
Life is so magical and brutal at the same time.”
That’s also a fitting description forLamb, a surreal and hypnotic fable from first-time director Valdimar Johannsson.
“I feel likeLambis a milestone for me,” thePrometheusstar tells EW.
Noomi Rapace in ‘Lamb’.Lilja Jons/A24
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: How did you first get involved withLamb, and what was your initial reaction to it?
I just felt like I had to do this.
What was it that you connected with in the character and the material?
I loved Maria from the very first.
She’s such an amazing combination of strength, fragility, and violence.
It wasn’t hard to find her, strangely enough.
I grew up on a farm, so I’ve lived farm life.
But I hadn’t delivered baby lambs, so that was new.
[Laughs]
What was the shooting process like for this film?
I just embraced it.
As you mentioned, this is Valdimar’s first feature.
Was it difficult to put your trust in a first-time director?
I always trust my intuition and gut feeling.
So he knows cinema, he knows filmmaking.
But it was very much a collaboration.
We were building Maria together, and it felt like we had a shared responsibility.
It felt easy, in a strange way, and it was playful and fun.
Tell us more about that collaboration what was it like working with Valdimar on set?
He doesn’t talk much.
It became more of a nonverbal conversation.
But I love Valdimar.
I’ve never experienced anything like it, to be honest.
Speaking of Ada, what did she look like on set?
How did that process work?
It’s like, “F—!
Everyone out, back to the waiting game.”
I’m not a patient woman, but I had to work on that a lot.
[Laughs] But weirdly enough, I just forgot that Ada wasn’t real.
It was almost like my mind just melted the body of the child and the lamb’s head.
This is the first Scandinavian film you’ve done in a while.
What was it like returning to your home culture after so many international projects?
I feel like there’s a before and afterLambfor me.
I love that, and I love those films.
Do you have any sense of how audiences will respond toLamb?The trailercertainly provoked some strong reactions.
I think what’s kind of beautiful and surprising is that everyone has their own take on it.
There were kind of heated discussions after about what different things meant, and I love that.
you’ve got the option to just allow yourself to go on a journey and be in it.
Lambis now playing in theaters.
This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.
