There haven’t been too many more anticipated films than the recently released “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo,” starring Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara and directed by David Fincher (“The Social Network”).
Fans have been eagerly waiting for the English-language adaptation of these best-selling Swedish novels. Craig, the star of the James Bond films since 2006, had some opinions about doing a new version of a series that is already so familiar.
Q: Does so much talk and anticipation hurt or help the adaptation?
A: I think that’s a good problem to have. You’ve got a great piece of source material and you’ve got a hunger to see something, whether it’s morbid curiosity or a really strong fan base, I never had any doubts about it in the sense that David Fincher was at the helm and we were in good hands. I don’t think the comparisons really matter. I just think that everybody wins. There will probably be fans of the book who go see this. I imagine that there will be fans of this who will now want to read the books. This stands alone as far as I’m concerned.
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Q: What about the inevitable comparisons to the books and comparisons to the original movies?
A: Well, I’ve never seen the original movies, so it’s hard for me to say. I was literally waiting for an opportunity to sit down and watch them. I have DVDs of them, but then this came along and I decided to just leave it alone. I have read the book, though.
Q: Most of the talk about the movie revolves around the rape scene. How do you respond to a scene that is so violent and so brutal?
A: The movie deals with very interesting things: sexual politics against women. It’s a great whodunit and at the core, it’s about two people who fall in love who probably shouldn’t. It’s complex, but also, it’s great entertainment. With regard to the rape scene, you don’t see anything. That’s what’s great about the way that David (Fincher) directed the movie. It’s about violence against women, so to not have violence against women in it would be pointless. It’s often uncomfortable, but to have not included it would be wrong. This film is not for children.
Q: What will the holidays be like for you?
A: Quiet … very quiet. Lots of nice things to drink and lots of not-so-nice things to eat. I’m a very nontraditional person, but I’m planning on taking advantage of the time to have as nice a time as possible.
Travel expenses paid for by Columbia Pictures and ¿WGN-TV. Watch my interviews 4 to 9 a.m. Monday through Friday on WGN-Ch. 9 Morning News. My radio show airs 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sundays on WGN-AM 720 and wgnradio.com. You can also go to wgntv.com/deanslist.