“It’s inevitable,” said Rooney Mara about the prospect of being compared with Noomi Rapace in the role of Lisbeth Salander. “But I’ve created my own Lisbeth Salander.”

Mara has seen the Swedish version of the film, she saw it before she knew for sure that the Salander part was hers. “It’s hard, 50 million people already have an image of her in their heads. It was a challenge and we did what we could. I trained 15 hours a day, seven days a week. But it’s not everyday a part like that for a woman comes along, and I’m glad I did it.”

She also said she found a bit of Pippi Longstocking in Salander. “I grew up with Pippi and went back to those stories.” Daniel Craig hadn't seen the Swedish film, and when he was cast as Blomkvist, he made a conscious choice not to see it then, either.

“I wanted the books in my head, not the film,” he said. He described his part: “He (Blomkvist) is single, he clings to his youth, he’s a little trendy because he’s a famous journalist, easily recognized.”

And about Sweden: “It was important to shoot on location. It was winter, it was dark and cold. The story, too, is dark, so it was important that we had fun shooting the film. We needed light and I made jokes constantly.” Craig said he could easily relate to Blomkvist. “I like journalists, they are needed in a democratic society. Blomkvist has a moral compass, even though he is weak and has many faults.”