Creator In-Joke: The Girl Who Played With Fire has a scene where EXPO - the magazine Stieg Larsson founded in the 90s - is on display. In the same film, a scene at the police station also has an offscreen voiceover saying "there's a Stieg Larsson here to see you".
Dyeing for Your Art: Noomi Rapace prepared for seven months, taking kick boxing lessons, went on a strict diet and had her eyebrows and nose pierced. She also got her motorcycle licence.
Playing Against Type: Peter Haber, cast as monstrous serial killer and rapist Martin Vanger, is known mainly for two roles. One being a By-the-Book Cop named Martin Beck in twenty-something movies. The other, a role practically everybody born in Sweden during the 80's and early 90's identify him with, is the sweet bumbling Papa Rudolph in the immensly popular "Sune" series. To put it in terms for a more international audience, it's basically like seeing Hal playing a Complete Monster serial killer (rather than a school teacher turned drug lord). And doing it superbly!
Real-Life Relative: In the Swedish film of Dragon Tattoo, Lisbeth's mother Agneta is played by Noomi Rapace's mother, Nina Norén.
The use of Enya's "Orinoco Flow" in the American film was suggested by Daniel Craig. It was initially met with disbelief and doubts with regards to whether or not it would work. The rest, as they say, is history.
Rooney Mara told David Fincher that Lisbeth Salander was a natural redhead who dyed her hair black. Thus they created a red merkin for her to wear.
According to director David Fincher, Rooney Mara dove headfirst into her portrayal of Lisbeth, chopping off her long brown hair to a dyed-black pixie cut, bleaching her eyebrows, getting both ears pierced (all together four times), and getting her eyebrow and one nipple pierced as well (nose and lip piercings were fake). Say what you will about her, she doesn't do things in half measures.
Daniel Craig also gained weight to make himself look more normal and less like James Bond.
Enforced Method Acting: The physicality of shooting the rape scene was so severe that the bruises on Rooney Mara's body in the shower scene were real. Her make-up artist was even fooled into thinking her make-up had already been applied.
Fake Nationality: All over the American film version. The only actual Swede in the main cast is Stellan Skarsgård. The rest are British, American, or Canadian, except for one Dutch man, and one Croatian.
Remake Cameo: David Dencik - who plays the young Morell - had played Janne in the original Swedish film.
Mikael catching the water bottle was an ad-lib by Daniel Craig.
While filming a diner scene, the crew discovered Michael Nyqvist's daughter working there while attending school. So they wrote in a couple of lines for her. She plays the barista giving Mikael a sandwich at the beginning.
Wag the Director: Mikael having an English accent was because Daniel Craig thought the idea of American, Canadian and British actors using bad fake Swede accents was silly.
There was a campaign among fans to get Noomi Rapace to reprise her role in the American remake too. Roger Ebert even championed it. She declined, having had enough of playing Lisbeth for three years in a row.
George Clooney, Johnny Depp, Viggo Mortensen, and Brad Pitt were considered for the role of Mikael Blomkvist. Daniel Craig also turned the role down initially because he wouldn't be able to commit with Skyfall. However when filming on that was pushed back, he became available and took the role.
