Rooney Mara is about to make a worldwide name for herself starring as Lisbeth Salander in the Christmas release The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, David Fincher's stateside adaptation of the popular Stieg Larsson novel.

The original The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo made a star out of Noomi Rapace, and she has left some mighty big shoes for Rooney Mara to fill. One of the major concerns coming from fans is that an American version of the story will not be as dark and brutal as the original. Rooney disagrees.

This is what she had to say about shooting the controversial rape scene, which some think will be watered down.

"It was incredibly intense. We did it all in a week - the week of Valentine's Day, oddly enough. We were working 16 hours a day, and it was really, really challenging, not just emotionally but physically. But it's such an important scene. We wanted to do everything we could to get that right."

The actress also talked about the brutal auditioning process that she almost gave up on.

"I was just super frustrated. I was like, 'You have to decide. Either you think I'm the girl or you don't. There's not much more I can do to prove it to you.' I went in there sort of ready to fight. I was pissed. But David Fincher sat me down and gave me this long speech about the part. Then he handed me his iPad, and it had the press release on it. He said, 'I'm prepared to send this out. You have half an hour to let me know if you want the part.'"

To read what Rooney Mara thought of the controversial topless poster, CLICK HERE