“The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo” star, Rooney Mara, gets a radiant, glam makeover, looking like a far cry from her darker character Lisbeth Salander, on the cover of the forthcoming January 2012 issue of Allure Magazine (see more pictures below).

Rooney Mara Shines @ Girl With The Dragon Tattoo Premiere

The 26 year-old actress talked about how she completely forgot her body was exposed in some of the nude scenes, and confessed she felt it was necessary to get her nipple pierced for the role. Here are some highlights:

Rooney Mara’s Dragon Tattoo Transformation For W Magazine

On nudity and going dark for the movie: “Nudity is such a huge part of the character in the book, so I never thought twice about it. There was no time for hesitation. I didn’t have time to second-guess anything or be scared; I just showed up and was comfortable….People always ask, ‘Were you crying when they cut your hair?’ And it didn’t freak me out at all. I was really happy to do it.”

On getting nipple pierced for the role: “I’m naked quite a lot in the movie, and I thought, she has it in the book, and she should have it [in the movie]. Because of all the tattoos and the makeup and the piercings, and the physical transformations my body has to go through, it would always feel sort of like I was in costume, even if I was naked. It just felt like a good one to get—a necessary one to get.”

Rooney Mara Cleans Up/Glams Up For Allure Pictures + Video

[image: Michael Thompson/Allure]