Irma Vep, the upcoming series on HBO, has an interesting backstory. First put to screen in 1915, and then remade in 1996 by Olivier Assayas, Irma Vep starred Maggie Cheung, and told the story of a production of a film and the many absurd aspects of filmmaking. This 2022 version of Irma Vep, again directed by Olivier Assayas, sees Alicia Vikander in the lead role, and will again hold a mirror to the industry and the idea of fame in the 21st century.
In this Goggler exclusive, we speak to Alicia Vikander about the remaking of Irma Vep and what drew her to the role in the first place.
Umpagan Ampikaipakan: The original Irma Vep was a critique and a satire of French cinema. How would you describe this version?
Alicia Vikander: I think it’s a continuation of that film more than anything. Not so much a sequel. When (Director) Olivier Assayas first spoke to me about the project, he said that he was excited to step into this universe because he felt like the story didn’t have real closure when he made it the first time. Of course, the world has changed since, and the way we watch films and cinema has changed. So it’s a story very much set in our time. So it’s actually interesting to see how different the world has become in 26 years between Olivier’s first attempt and now.
UA: In the Irma Vep story, Irma is the OG cat-suited bad girl of cinema. What drew you to the part, and were you apprehensive about taking it on?
AK: I was not at all. I’ve known Olivier Assayas for six/seven years. I adore him as a person, and I’m a huge admirer of him as a filmmaker and an auteur. When he mentioned that he was going to make this, and he invited me to come join, he hadn’t even written it yet. But I said, “yes.” So, no, there was no question.
AK: Of course, at the time, I didn’t even really know what the character was going to be like, but then I was introduced to Mira, and for me it was just the excitement of stepping into all the different layers and the meta universe that we have in the series. To step into a character that I, of course, can relate to, considering that we have the same profession and we’re kind of in the same world, but also given that we’re two quite different characters. On top of that, there’s also the film within the film, which if anything, was a treat.
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