Alicia Vikander just broke down her gruelling training to become Lara Croft

For her role as the iconic videogame character, Alicia Vikander worked out every single day for four months. Every. Single. Day

Words by Victoria Fell

When Tomb Raider was released for the first time in 1996, videogames would change forever: finally there was a kickass female character in the form of Lara Croft that both guys and girls thought was cool.

It seems that Alicia Vikander was determined not to let anyone down with her portrayal of the daredevil archaeologist in the Tomb Raider reboot that came out earlier this month, taking her prep very seriously.

Her preparation to become Lara Croft involved an intense training regime that Vikander revealed to Glamour. ‘There were so many different skills I had to learn and I also gained around 10-12lbs of muscle. I worked with my trainer for four months leading up to it, then every day before I started to film I was in the gym.’

Despite finishing filming, Vikander has carried on with her training, saying ‘It was something I really enjoyed. I felt very much in my body and I loved having another strength.’

Thankfully (she is human!) Vikander did admit that she occasionally indulged during the process: '[We were training] five to six days a week, and Sundays were pizza days. I think the first thing I said when I woke up on Sundays was, “It's pizza day!”’

As one of our red carpet crushes, Alicia Vikander never fails to look immaculate, whether she’s in a ballgown or Lara’s signature turquoise vest and combat shorts. What’s her secret? Sleep! ‘It changes the way you look and the way you feel,’ she said. ‘My mum used to tell me when I was a kid that I had to go to bed at 7.30pm and when I'd ask why she'd say, “Well you do get a bit grumpy when you don't have routines.” Then I realised when I was a bit older, that's actually true.’

Maybe we should listen to our mothers more…