As the star of the new Tomb Raider, Alicia Vikander is used to playing a fighter. But in a new interview with Vogue, the 29-year-old actress shared how Julianne Moore came to her defense when an unnamed man in a position of power made a joke at her expense on the set of Seventh Son.
"I was really embarrassed, and I would have just laughed it off," Vikander told the magazine. "But Julianne turned to him and said, ‘If you ever do that again, I'm walking out of here and I'm not coming back.'"
Her eyes went glossy. "She was just, like, ‘Don't you f--king say that again,'" Vikander recalled. "It showed me that she had the power. And that meant so much to me."
Now, Vikander is using her power to stand up for others. The actress partnered with several other actresses—including Reese Witherspoon and Natalie Portman—to support Time's Up—a movement that promotes equality and safety in the workplace and fights against sexual misconduct.
"It was such a community that came together," Vikander said, recalling the 2018 Golden Globes, during which several stars wore black as a symbol of solidarity. "I got on the phone with Natalie, whom I'd never met, and Reese. Suddenly I felt like I made a lot of new friends. One thing that really got to me in their initial email was the fact that—because women are not as well represented in all industries—we often have to fight for jobs. The competition is so tough that instead of getting to know each other and working together, we learned at an early age to compete for that single spot. So then to get on the carpet yesterday and feel like I had actually made friends with the other actresses and people I admire, it was really cool."
Vikander hasn't always been used to living life in the limelight. After the release of The Danish Girl—a film that led her to win an Oscar for Best Actress in a Supporting Role—she began to feel "anxious" and "sad." Doing press for the movie also became a stressor.
"When I read things about me I thought, 'That's so far away from who I thought I am,'" she said. "It really messed with my head."
However, Vikander didn't let this stop her from pursuing her career. In addition to appearing in the new Tomb Raider, she's set to appear in Submergence and Euphoria. She's also had some major changes in her personal life. In October, she married actor Michael Fassbender.
"I feel I'm more happy and content than I've ever been," she said.
To read her full interview, visit Vogue.com.