Space Odyssey
Noomi Rapace has questions in ‘Constellation’
In the epic sci-fi adventure “Constellation,” Noomi Rapace is an astronaut who survives the destruction of a very troubled Space Station and begins a quest to discover not just the truth about the hidden history of space travel but recover pieces of her life that have mysteriously disappeared.
For Rapace, 44, “Constellation” is an irresistible bundle of script, lavish production and character. “With Jo I instantly felt like this was iconic, so human, so brave, so fragile — and so lost. All at the same time.”
The elusive element here asks, What is real — and what is not? “When you get one answer,” Rapace said in a Zoom interview, “all of a sudden there’s a bunch of other questions that will open up. That is what makes this truly intriguing and unique. Like, you never really know.
“You discover something you find okay — and then straight away that will open the door to something else. That’s why I think it’s so brilliantly written. Because it’s grounded in characters that are very relatable and real. And then there is this whole buffet of possibilities to what life and reality can be.”
Rapace became an overnight star with the 2009 Swedish thriller “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” and has since had to maneuver in the perilous business of sustaining a career. What has she learned about herself in the process?
“First, I learned that I don’t know (crap). I was so cocky! But it came from a place of fear. You know, when you need to tell yourself that you know things and have really strong opinions? The older I get, the more I work with, ‘I don’t know. Let’s figure out what things are like.’
“I’m allowing myself to show more (and admit more) my insecurities and am staying curious. You can get lost, so I feel like I have this endless hunger to learn, to meet and connect with people. And I love films! More than anything it’s my oxygen.”
Last year, after filming “Constellation,” Rapace did something she’s never done. “I came back home” — which is London — “and I was, ‘I’m going to take a proper break and just live for a moment.’
“And it was so good. It really made me revisit decisions and look at myself and my life. I said ‘No’ to so many films. In the beginning that was really scary. But this was something I wanted to do.
“I realized that one thing would feed another thing. You open up space in your mind and in your being and allow yourself to discover things that you didn’t see before.”
“Constellation” streams its first three episodes Feb. 21 on AppleTV+.