Rooney Mara: I watched Toy Story 3 to relax after Dragon Tattoo rape scenes

The Oscar nominated actor spoke about her difficult work with David Fincher as well as her new film Carol at the Telluride film festival

Rooney Mara has revealed that the secret to getting through the explicit rape scenes she filmed for David Fincher’s The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo was watching the sentimental Pixar sequel Toy Story 3.

In a live conversation that covered her career at this year’s Telluride film festival, the Oscar nominated actor spoke of the 16-hour days during production of the literary thriller and “laughing between takes” to help ease the tension. It was a role that she didn’t expect, especially after watching the original Swedish language film. “There is no fucking way I will get that part,” she remembers saying.

Mara also discussed her smaller role in Fincher’s Facebook biopic The Social Network. She described it as one of the most exciting challenges to date, despite the strict boundaries of the Oscar-nominated screenplay. “With Aaron Sorkin’s writing, there is no room for your own interpretation,” she said.

As well as her work with Fincher, Mara talked about her latest role for director Todd Haynes in the Oscar-buzzed romantic drama Carol, which saw her share the award for best actress at this year’s Cannes film festival. Mara tells that she was initially offered the part after finishing The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo but was “so exhausted” that she couldn’t see herself taking on such a role. But the film was delayed and by the time it came about again, she was eager to be involved.

Preparation for the film, set in 50s New York, included Haynes sending Mara a selection of films to watch, music to listen to and a “visual book” of references to help her effortlessly segue into the era. “He did a lot of the work for us,” she said.

Mara’s successful NFL family background (her mother’s family founded the Pittsburgh Steelers while her father’s family founded the New York Giants) suggests that she comes from “royalty”, at least in the sports world. “Oh God no”, she baulked at the suggestion of the word. Despite her connections, she still remains uninterested in the sport.

Choosing to avoid life as a child actor (“I knew at a very young age that it’s what I didn’t want”), she chose the patient path, even as her sister Kate broke into the industry in her early teens. She started a non-profit before the age of 20 called Faces of Kibera, aimed at providing housing, food and medical supplies to orphans in Kenya. She still values her charity work and finds it hard to empathise with actors who say “they would die if they couldn’t act”. She calls Hollywood “such a small place” and thinks a wider perspective is important.

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