Noomi Rapace on Portraying Mother Teresa in *Mother*: "She Traveled the Shadows of Her Own Soul" – Venice

EXCLUSIVE Noomi Rapace isn't someone who avoids difficult tasks. The Swedish actress has consistently taken on roles that require both physical and emotional strength—whether it was her powerful debut performance in 2007's Daisy Diamond where she portrays a distressed young mother who turns into a prostitute, to her performance as the original Lisbeth Salander in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and the Millennium series, for her highly praised role in the 2021 Icelandic thriller Lamb .

In her newest performance, Rapace is raising the stakes in Teona Strugar Mitevska's first film in English. Mother , where she takes on the role of Mother Teresa. The movie, set to open the Venice Film Festival’s Horizons (Orizzonti) section on Wednesday, presents a complex narrative examining the venerated but imperfect Catholic figure; according to Rapace, the lead role could be among her most challenging performances yet.

She mentions this before the movie's debut," she says. "I've encountered several transforming personas and figures who have significantly influenced me and pushed me hard, and I'd certainly consider Mother Teresa among them. There were times when exploring those aspects led me to parts of myself that felt quite uneasy and deeply emotional.

This is a bold endeavor for North Macedonian director Mitevska, who has been captivated by the intricacies of Mother Teresa for many years. Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu, born in Skopje—the capital city of Macedonia—Mother Teresa has always been praised for her kindness and relentless efforts in helping those who were ill. Although she later received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979 and was declared a saint in 2016, her life remained surrounded by debate, as some have criticized her for providing poor quality healthcare, performing last rites on the terminally ill, and mismanaging donations.

“She was someone who endured much suffering but may not have been entirely reliable,” says Rapace. “She likely followed different standards compared to everyone else. She once stated, 'If I ever become a saint—I’ll certainly be one of darkness'—and this was truly due to how deeply she traveled through the shadowy parts of her own mind.”

Producing a movie centered around such a renowned spiritual leader presents certain difficulties but Mother opting against a full biographical approach, the movie centers on a short phase of Mother Teresa's life during 1948. It explores seven key days leading up to her departure from the Loreto Entally convent in Calcutta as she begins her own Missionaries of Charity, an organization devoted to helping the most impoverished and overlooked groups. At the moment all preparations appear complete, she encounters a challenge that tests her personal aspirations and beliefs at a critical juncture in her journey.

She waited for approval from the Vatican to begin her mission and sent letters to them for seven years seeking authorization to establish the Missionaries of Charity, an entire organization through which she could exit the convent, abandon monastic life, and serve beyond its walls," according to Rapace. "She became increasingly frustrated, believing they were not acting sufficiently.

She adds: "She was undoubtedly a trailblazer in her era, and she was advocating for certain causes. However, in our film, we're also examining what constitutes self-importance and what is her desire to be noticed and acknowledged? What represents genuine care for others, and what reflects her ambition to achieve more?"

Rapace, who serves as an executive producer as well Mother ,says she had "an extraordinary partnership" collaborating with Mitevska, whose latest film The Joyful Individual in the World The Most Contented Person on Earth The Cheerful Soul of the Planet The Radiant Human Being The Ultimate Happy Individual The Brightest Spirit on the Globe The Blissful Persona Worldwide The Pinnacle of Happiness The Unmatched Joyful Figure The Exuberant Resident of the World was also showcased in the Orizzonti section of Venice. The writer-director had been thinking about Mother Teresa as a movie topic for many years. "She has been carrying this idea around for such a long time and working through it," says Rapace. "I don’t believe she was prepared for it until now. I feel Mother Teresa was already present within her even prior to her last several movies."

The duo collaborated from the beginning on the screenplay, carefully considering "the entrance" into this intricate character. Right from the start, screenwriters Mitevska, Goce Smilevski, and Elma Tataragić aimed to present a multi-dimensional narrative exploring themes of authority, drive, and societal expectations related to gender.

Our aim was to enter and present our interpretation of her," states Rapace. "We aren’t claiming it’s the absolute truth, but she carried significant inner turmoil. In her letters, she frequently mentioned battling with her beliefs and feeling disconnected from God, as though she could no longer sense His presence.

Mitevska, known for highlighting powerful female figures in her projects, is referred to by Rapace as a "genuine feminist," with the movie examining Mother Teresa from the perspective of a woman navigating the structures of a predominantly male-led international institution.

She mentions, 'Teona finds beauty where others do not.' It felt incredibly freeing being part of her team. Mother Teresa was extremely strict with herself—more so than most people, perhaps—because she had a purpose. If you examine any modern-day leader or CEO who is driving change and launching new ventures, they all possess some level of this quality. I sometimes ponder how different she might have been perceived if she were male.

Rapace spent six months preparing for the part and was also required to get ready for her lead role in Agnieszka Smoczynska's science fiction thriller. Hot Spot , as the two movies were scheduled to be filmed one after another. "It felt almost like two separate worlds," says Rapace. "The characters had faith and followed religion in entirely different manners yet they were linked. It would have been too complicated to handle them otherwise."

For Mother She delved into Mother Teresa's numerous letters, enabling her to develop her own interpretation of the late saint. "I found common threads: feelings of self-doubt, stemming from a place of enduring suffering and searching for love, forgiveness, or salvation," she noted. Additionally, she conducted extensive research about 1940s India and studied both the Bible and the Quran to gain a deeper understanding of Mother Teresa's environment.

Mother Also featuring Sylvia Hoeks, Nikola Ristanovski, Ekin Corapci, Marijke Pinoy, and Labina Mitevska, the latter serving as both producer of the movie and sister to Teona. Sebastien Delloye also oversees this collaborative project between Belgium, North Macedonia, Sweden, Denmark, and Bosnia, filmed toward the end of last year in Belgium and Kolkata, India. According to Rapace, filming in the latter place was an "eye-opening and powerful" encounter for him, as he had only been to Mumbai once before during a promotional trip several years back.

Strolling down the same streets she used to walk and immersing myself in her environment was an overwhelming experience for me," states Rapace. "I've never encountered anything similar before. We remain largely separated from that part of life, and it proved extremely powerful. During our time filming, I found myself undergoing a wild process of shedding one layer after another of who I am. There’s a moment in the film where I shave all my hair off, yet I was essentially removing the final barrier. By the end of production, I broke down in tears. It felt as though I had lost every bit of defense left, which was incredibly profound.

She adds, "It will be intriguing to observe how this film is received. I believe we have brought attention to her without explicitly stating whether it's positive or negative. I felt as though I was aiming to express my own perspective and convey her story through my physicality, mind, and ideas. In a way, it's me stepping directly into her shoes."

Mother kicks off the Venice Horizons segment on August 27, 2025.