Rooney Mara pierced nipple to play 'The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo'

Washington, Oct 18 (ANI): Rooney Mara underwent extreme makeover by shaving her eyebrows and getting her nipple pierced, to play the protagonist in ' The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo'.

It certainly wasn't easy for her to don the role of Lisbeth Salander in the movie, one of the most sought after role.

To achieve the edgy, boyish style of Salander director David Fincher brought in hairstylist Danilo to give the 'Social Network' actress a new look.

"[He] cut my hair, shaved the sides, bleached the eyebrows, then dyed my hair black," Fox News quoted Mara as telling Vogue magazine.

"Then we went and did the piercing s-all in one day. I went in looking like Erica Albright and I came out like this."

Besides her nipple, Mara, 26, had her brow, nose, and lip pierced. Makeup artist, Pat McGrath was brought in to help further bring Salander to life.

"We went from the white-powdered sick-clown makeup to stitches in the face all the way to greasy, bloody eyes," McGarth said.

"I instantly knew how I could make her character so different. And then once the hair was cut in that mad shape, I was like, well, the eyebrows have got to go."

Mara was also asked to get drunk before a meeting to convince Sony that she could ably play the dark lead in the highly anticipated film.

"Go out and get really, really drunk and come in the next morning so we can take pictures of you," David Fincher, the movie's director remembers telling Mara.

"And I did it!" Mara said. "Threw up all night!" (ANI)