Carey Mulligan has revealed she had three auditions for the role of Lisbeth Salander in David Fincher's The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo.
The Shame star was called back more than once to try for the part, alongside other actresses like Scarlett Johansson and Ellen Page - only for Rooney Mara to win it.
"I auditioned three times for The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. 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," she recalled to Little White Lies.
"And then the second and the third one were with him. He is very specific. He tells you exactly what he wants you to do. He's very kind. I was intimidated... He's very direct. I like people who are direct."
Carey - who has been filming Baz Luhrmann's The Great Gatsby with Leonardo DiCaprio - tried out for the role because she wanted to prove herself, away from her award-winning turn in An Education.
"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," she admitted.
"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!' And also to work with him and to work with Daniel Craig was an amazing opportunity. It was such a great character."