Alicia Vikander was left "crippled" by the stunts on ‘Tomb Raider’.
The 29-year-old actress threw herself into the stunt work as adventurer Lara Croft in her latest movie and she initially found her rigorous training unbearably painful.
She said: "At first it hurts. So much so that you can’t walk or get out of bed for the first three weeks. I was, like, crippled. I had pain places I didn’t know existed."
Alicia’s version of Lara is not the pin-up associated with the video game or Angelina Jolie’s take on the character, with her famous micro-shorts ditched for trousers, and the actress thinks it was important to show her alter ego as more than just a sex symbol.
She said: "It’s not just the character of Lara Croft, it’s the society that’s changed.
"I think what we actually express as being extremely attractive or sexy is just different.
"Even young boys or girls on the street wouldn’t comment, ‘Oh, a pair of shorts is what I find sexy’. It’s actually changing, which is a lovely thing.
"People say, ‘Oh you don’t want to make her sexy?’ No, I want to make a young woman who is sexy but I want her to be fierce, cool, witty, funny.
"I want her to be somebody you want to hang out with, as a woman and a man. Society’s changing so this is more up to date with what we find sexy."
While Alicia had a number of action scenes in the film, nothing left her more "terrified" than the day a number of gamers visited the set.
She said: "We had on set what are called social influencers, like the biggest gamers.
"And I was terrified, for obvious reasons. It’s a very beloved character.
"People who have followed Lara Croft over the years know her inside out. I want to make a character that lives up to the character they all love."
Alicia Vikander’s crippling Tomb Raider stunts
