THE CONNECTIVE TISSUE
Lisbon and Mexico City, April 2024
NOOMI RAPACE has lived many lives, or perhaps it's more apt to say her characters have. In her latest triumph, Constellation, she effortlessly navigates the blurred boundaries between mind-bending sci-fi and poignant drama. While this might pose a formidable challenge for others, it's akin to flexing a well-honed muscle for Rapace. The Swedish actress has carved a distinctive path throughout her illustrious career, seamlessly inhabiting diverse roles from blockbuster spectacles to intimate indie gems. Her versatility stems from a profound understanding of the human experience, she studies the origin of what connects us all – emotion. ÉDGAR RAMÍREZ shares a similar mastery of his craft. Fresh off his acclaimed portrayal of Paolo Macchiarini in the hit series Dr. Death, Ramírez proves himself a talented artist. Yet, beyond their shared dedication to their trade, Rapace and Ramírez share a profound bond forged over a decade of friendship. In conversation, the two jump from the philosophical musings on the implications of quantum physics to what they’re both having for breakfast.
Left Suit, shirt and bowtie Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello, crinoline Costume Studio
Right Top Celine Homme, crinoline Costume Studio, socks Pantherella, shoes Churchs, earrings Dévé
NOOMI RAPACE: Hi Édgar! How are you? I just came back from Madrid three days ago.
ÉDGAR RAMÍREZ: Oh nice! Where are you now?
NR: I’m in Lisbon right now, I was just showing my view, which is not as nice as your view, that’s incomparable. Are you at yours?
ER: No no, I’m in Mexico City.
NR: What are you doing in Mexico?
ER: I just arrived; I’m producing my first movie! NR: [Claps] There we go! What is it?
ER: It’s a film based on a novel by this Venezuelan female writer – it’s the story of a woman who amid the chaos, the murders, and the riots gets her apartment broken into by the government militia. As she’s trying to escape, she gets into her neighbour’s apartment and finds her dead of natural causes. While she’s deciding what to do, the phone rings and says that her neighbour has a Spanish passport waiting for her at the consulate. She decides to take over her persona- lity and dispose of the body. It’s amazing because it’s something that could’ve happened in Germany in the 1940s or Iran in the 1980s. We start shooting on Monday so I’m very excited.
NR: That’s amazing. I was just on the phone with a Mexican writer the other day and she was talking to me about Mexico City. It's weird that you’re there now. Everything is connected.
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ER: Your house looks amazing, is that in Lisbon?
NR: Yeah, you haven’t been here yet, have you? It’s great but I’m waiting to buy a house, so we’ll see. But I’ve missed you so much.
ER: I’ve missed you so much, too. I just finished Constellation, it’s so good. It reminded me that when we met you were doing sci-fi as well.
NR: Oh yeah, back in the day.
ER: That was your first big Hollywood movie, and we met while I was also fil- ming my first big Hollywood movie. We were both shooting in London, do you remember?
NR: Oh, I do, we were invited to this crazy castle. Everyone was so well dressed and so well behaved and we were just these two lost kids that were infiltrating the system.
ER: It was the beginning of a lot of things. You were doing Prometheus, and I was doing Wrath of the Titans. Which was crazy because it was right after you’d done Millennium and I’d done Carlos.
NR: Our lives are always strangely married; we’ve always managed to find each other in different parts of the world.
Left Top and skirt Y/Project, boots Roker
Right Full look Charles Jeffrey Loverboy
ER: I remember the first time I went to Iceland; it was unbelievable. It must’ve been such a magic place to grow up for you. It’s like a different realm over there.
NR: When I think of Iceland, I think of my step-grandmother. As you know, I’m half Spanish, my father was a flamenco singer, and he came to Sweden, and I guess he was some sort of player, so he wasn’t really in the picture. Then my mom met my Icelandic father and we moved to Iceland when I was four and a half. I remember my Icelandic grandma standing there with open arms to embrace me. She said, “Welcome my firstborn.” I wasn’t her blood, but she just instantly loved me. Weirdly, I think Icelandic and Spanish people are more connected than even Icelandic and Swedes. It made sense for me to grow up there, I think. When I went back to Sweden, I didn’t feel connected, I was always too excited, too sad, or too angry.
ER: That makes sense, you’re a very warm person. You’re very open and curious, I can see the Spanish side of you for sure. Do you think that because you grew up on an island you had developed this curiosity that sparked your interest in film? I mean you’ve done every genre.
NR: Maybe. I am very curious about people; I love to listen and ask questions. That’s a good reflection but I mean you’ve seen me throughout the years, you know me better than most people. I’ve always had this deep curiosity that’s been my guideline. I have an obsession with understanding people. Instead of judging, I try to find the reasoning for even the dark choices we all make. I think that’s the beauty of our medium – as actors, we get to dive deep into people and unravel their characters. I think that’s the beginning of how we build bridges. That’s the connective tissue.
ER: Yeah, you’re very good at that. I’ve seen it happening over and over, you’re exercising your compassion muscle by empathizing with people.
NR: I would say you’re the same way. I’ve seen you sit at dinners and have your whole body leaning forward because you’re just absorbing someone else’s sto- ry. From the moment we met, it almost felt like family.
ER: Oh, I’m so sorry, my coffee is here... [Édgar gets up from his chair to go to the door and quickly returns]
NR: Go get your coffee, I’m still picking on my mushrooms from lunch too.
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ER: I’m back. I’m so sorry! It’s just that, the minute I have my first sip of coffee, what I’m saying will start to make a lot more sense. NR: What time is it for you?
ER: [Laughs] No, no, it’s not that early, it’s just that I got home very late last night. What were you telling me?
NR: [Laughs] You know, it’s the first thing I do every morning, I have my coffee and I get a dry brush, I sit on a yoga mat, and I just brush my body. That’s how I start every day.
ER: A dry brush? Like a horse?
NR: Wait. [Noomi gets up and picks up a large brush] It’s this – so you basically just go towards your heart, and it gets everything flowing. It helps me wake up and connect to my body.
ER: I think I should start doing that. You’ve always fascinated me with these rituals you’ve always had.
NR: They help me. I’m constantly travelling. I wake up in so many different places so following the same routine and having these rituals gives me some sense of stability.
ER: I think I have some too, but not as cool as yours. Mine is just coffee.
NR: This is not cool. [Laughs] You’re brushing yourself.
ER: You’re connecting with your body, it’s like you’re your own pet. But you’ve always had these cool things, at some point, you would put your head in cold water.
NR: Oh yes, I still put my face down in a bowl with ice cubes and count to 30. I also do cold showers every day. Which used to make me hyperventilate but now I’m working on my breathing. Actually, when I was doing research for Constellation that stuck out to me. I interviewed three astronauts and what stayed with me was their ability to create routines that they stick to no matter what. They don’t get carried away by emotions, it’s amazing. They stay calm and problem-solve with a rational mind. That’s something that has stayed with me from speaking to them. It’s something I’m trying to do, instead of letting everything be in the chaos of emotions, I’m trying to create an inner structure.
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ER: You’re creating a distance between you and your emotions to remove your- self from the overwhelming feelings. In a way, it’s meditating. That’s very beau- tiful, it’s knowing yourself enough to know you’re not whatever condition you are in.
NR: Yeah, but it’s not just for the bad stuff. Even now, you know what it’s like to get on that high when one of your movies or series is getting praised. When you’re in this world of positivity and good reviews, it’s easy to get carried away. You want to eat more and more of that sweet candy. But it’s dangerous, you can become addicted to that attention. I think my rituals help me with that.
ER: Yeah, it’s a way to keep you grounded. But you've always been very disci- plined. I remember many times when after a big party, I would call you hungover for breakfast and you’d already be in the gym.
NR: Yeah, it’s hard because I’m both a morning and night person so my sleep schedule is sometimes very short, I’m trying to be better with that.
ER: I was thinking you’ve played a split personality a couple of times. You did it in What Happened to Monday and now again with Constellation. Speaking of, we’ve talked about it, but I absolutely loved it.
NR: You know, last time you spoke about it, you told me how it reminded you of Solaris for a new generation, which I mentioned to Peter Harness, and he loved it. But I’m not surprised you made the correlation, you’re an incredible movie lover.
ER: Yeah, I mean when I first saw it, it was the first thing that came to mind. It’s such a fascinating discussion of philosophy and quantum physics. I love how there are certain moments where you don’t understand the entire story, so you’re forced to feel the emotions of the characters, it’s very moving. It’s an amazing story of accepting what life gives you.
NR: It’s also about something we’ve always talked a lot about, how our decisions affect your life. How leaving Venezuela or Sweden has changed us, how agreeing to a project, or starting a new relationship changes your life. For example, you used to be a journalist, right?
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Right Full look Charles Jeffrey Loverboy
ER: I studied journalism and worked as a political journalist until I decided to become an actor.
NR: What would the political journalist Édgar look like? It’s something I’m always thinking about. What if I hadn’t moved from my farm and left my family at 14? What if I hadn’t gotten married? Or divorced? What if I had never moved to Lon- don? I think you have to acknowledge how these decisions are what make you the pilot of your own life. I might have taken some wrong turns, but you have to embrace change. It’s better to evolve than to stay in the safe lane.
ER: That’s how you grow, but it’s still very scary.
NR: Oh absolutely. But I think we should all be allowed to be terrified.
ER: I agree, it's very easy to analyse life in hindsight. But you have to forgive yourself for making a decision when you didn’t have the whole information be- cause you never do. I have a friend of mine who talks about something called emotional fitness. It's supposed to help you figure out how to expand yourself so you can feel emotion instead of avoiding it. Regret is definitely one of them.
NR: I love that. What’s it called? Emotional exercise? ER: Emotional fitness.
NR: I’ll be adding that to my morning routine. You know, I think we can never just chit-chat, we always go straight for the jugular with the meaning of life.
ER: I love that we ended up having breakfast together in a way. NR: By the way, I’m coming to LA. Are you going to be there? ER: I will, I will see you there. I loved talking to you.
NR: I’ll see you very soon.
Conversation between Noomi Rapace and Édgar Ramírez moderated by Pedro Vasconcelos
Photography by Benjamin Lennow
Fashion by Giulio Ventisei
Production by Ko Collective
Producers Isabella Coleman and Rachael Hopper
Hair by Hiroshi Matsushita
Make-Up by Jenny Coombs at The Wall Group
Manicure by Nichole Williams at Stella Creatives
Digital operator Daniele Roversi
Photographer’s assistants Antonio Perrone and Natasha Clayton
Stylist’s assistant Luena Paulino