Carey Mulligan Recalls FailedGirl with the Dragon TattooAudition: 'I Definitely Wore a Nose Ring'

Mar. 15, 2025

Carey Mulligan photographed attending the ‘Maestro’ Special Screening at Picturehouse Central in London on Dec. 1, 2023.Photo:Karwai Tang/WireImage

Karwai Tang/WireImage

Carey Mulliganwent “all in” while attempting to secure the lead role inThe Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

“I think I even, like, almost dyed my hair black or something,” Mulligan noted, adding, “I definitely wore a nose ring.”

Carey Mulligan photographed attending the 2023 Gotham Awards at Cipriani Wall Street on Nov. 27, 2023.Taylor Hill/FilmMagic

Taylor Hill/FilmMagic

She further explained: “And I got my friend who’s a makeup artist to give me, like,” gesturing with her hands over her face, to which Fassbender replied, “Like a punk sort of look.”

“I went all in,” Mulligan said, “I did a Bradley [Cooper, herMaestrocostar and director], I went all in.” The actress even noted that she “chain-smoked” at the audition for further dramatic effect.

“It was very nice, but I obviously didn’t get the job,” she concluded.

Rooney Mara would go on to be cast in the challenging role. She received an Oscar nomination for Best Actress in 2012 for her performance.

In 2012, Mulligan spoke about how she auditioned three times in an attempt to join the film’s cast, two of which were with directorDavid Fincher.

“The first audition I did, I don’t think I was sort of in his mind for it. So the first audition I did for the casting director without him [Fincher]. And then the second was with him and the third one was with him. He is very specific. He tells you exactly what he wants you to do. He’s very kind. I was intimidated, but he was very…He’s very direct. I like people who are direct,” she said, perIndieWire.

Mulligan added at the time, “I just sort of went all out for it because I did feel a little bit stuck in sort of being young looking or playing these parts. And I’d done so much costume drama and all these things kept on presenting themselves as opportunities and I just thought, ‘If I could do that… ha!’ "

Reflecting on why she didn’t get the role, she said at the time: “But he was just very, yeah, very specific, very direct, very honest and quite brief – with me, at least. His reputation of course is that he takes, like, 45 takes, so him being brief with me was probably an indication that I wasn’t going to get the job. But that’s okay.”

source: people.com