HOT GALLERY: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo Cast—Before They Were Stars!

Who Am I?

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Christopher Plummer

Christopher Plummer is one of the best actors... well, ever. The "before" photo is from a clip of Plummer onstage in A Doll's House many moons ago. On the silver screen, Plummer has played everything from Captain Von Trapp in The Sound of Music (1965) to the Shakespeare-quoting Klingon General Chang in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991). In Dragon Tattoo he plays the mysterious Henrik Vanger, the patriarch of a family with... oh, we don't want to spoil it for you.

Who Am I?

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Daniel Craig

That is Daniel Craig, the reigning Bond, James Bond, in the film The Power of One (1992). What a difference a few years and a couple of major-league movies makes, huh? Craig plays Mikael Blomkvist, technically the main character of the series. The thing is, he's much less interesting than Lisbeth Salander. Then again, so is everybody else.
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Who Am I?

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Embeth Davidtz

That's Embeth Davidtz in Schindler's List (1993). She plays Annika Blomkvist, Mikael's sister and sometime attorney. Her role in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is on the small side, but those of us familiar with the complete saga know how important she becomes later on.

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Goran Visnjic

Goran Visnjic is best known for his long run as Dr. Luka Kovac on NBC's ER (1999-2008). He plays the awesomely named Dragan Armansky in Dragon Tattoo.

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Rooney Mara

Rooney Mara, seen here in a Law & Order: SVU episode from 2006, has an impossible job—replacing Noomi Rapace, who played Lisbeth Salander in the Swedish film. It's an unfair comparison for many reasons, not the least of which is that Rapace is actually Swedish. Mara, who was very good as Erica Albright in The Social Network, definitely went the extra mile, reportedly getting her nipple pierced for the part. We're sure she'll be good. Ms. Rapace is simply a tough act to follow.
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Joely Richardson

Joely Richardson comes from a long line of great performers—Vanesssa Redgrave and Tony Richardson (mom and dad), Natasha Richardson (sister), Michael Redgrave (grandfather), Lynn Redgrave (aunt). She plays Anita Vanger in Dragon Tattoo, a character that was surprisingly cut from the Swedish film.

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Julian Sands

Julian Sands has one of those faces that begs to be on-screen. Luckily for him, show business has obliged. Smallville fans remember his recent turn as Jor-El; this time he plays the younger version of Christopher Plummer's Henrik Vanger. We can buy that.

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Robin Wright

Robin Wright is a terrific actress, and her presence in any film is a good thing. We'd be lying, though, if we didn't admit to a particular fondness for her portrayal as the beguiling Buttercup in The Princess Bride (1987). Wright tackles Erika Berger in Dragon Tattoo, an intriguing character who is also not as interesting as Lisbeth Salander.
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Stellan Skarsgård

Stellan Skarsgård has the distinction of being as Swedish as his Dragon Tattoo character Martin Vanger. (Spoiler alert: don't Google the character's name unless you've read the book.) He also played Professor Erik Selvig in the superhero blockbuster Thor, a role he will reprise in The Avengers next summer.