Rooney Mara Talks Nipple Piercing with 'Allure'

Rooney Mara wears Vera Wang as she graces the cover of Allure magazine’s January 2012 issue.

Here’s what the 26-year-old star of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo had to share:

On her sister, actress Kate Mara: “We’re so different that there’s never been a competitiveness between us in work. She is probably much more likable than I am. She’s really outgoing and fun. I’m definitely more of the odd sister.”

On filming The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo: “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 her 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.”

For more from Rooney, visit Allure.com!

Bigger cover pic inside…