Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
‘Tomb Raider’ star walled up in Camps Bay villa
New Lara Croft actress doesn’t like living on the edge
OSCAR- WINNING actress Alicia Vikander is a fearless action woman when she plays Lara Croft in the reboot of Tomb Raider, which has been filming in Cape Town for the past four months.
But in real life she has been guarded around the clock since an attempted burglary at her luxury Camps Bay villa in January.
“She and her partner (actor Michael Fassbender) told the security company hired to protect them, that they did not feel safe,” said a source familiar with the security arrangements, which included a pair of guards at night and one during the day, working 5am until 5pm shifts.
The guards, who are kitted out in neon-orange jackets, have panic buttons in case they require back-up.
“They were scared to stay alone in the house without protection over and above armed response and surveillance cameras,” added the source.
“They don’t trust South Africa. They felt safer being watched day and night.”
According to a neighbour, who lives in the same cul de sac, the area is usually crimefree but there were a number of break-ins earlier this year.
“We haven’t had major issues in this road but at the beginning of the year four homes in the area were broken into.
“It was apparently a gang targeting Camps Bay and Llandudno homes.”
The three- bedroomed double- storey house enjoys stunning mountain and sea views from the pool deck and jacuzzi and boasts a private wine cellar.
Billed to be one of the biggest releases of 2018, the new Tomb Raider movie sees Vikander stepping into the shoes of Angelina Jolie, who famously played Lara Croft.
Last year, Vikander won best supporting actress Oscar for The Danish Girl and co-starred in Jason Bourne.
She has intermittently been spotted around Cape Town with Fassbender, her partner since 2014 when they co-starred in The Light Between Oceans.
Tomb Raider’s bad guy leads are being played by The Hateful Eight and Sons of Anarchy actor Walton Goggins (as Mathias Vogel) and Into the Badlands star Daniel Wu (as Lou Ren).
Under the helm of fash- ionable Norwegian director Roar Uthaug, scenes were shot at a quarry on a Paarl wine estate but the bulk of the movie was filmed in aircraft hangar- type studios in and around the city on spe- cially constructed sets.
These included stages in Epping and at Cape Town Film Studios.
Shooting in South Africa wrapped this week and shifts to the UK next week.