Rooney Mara Covers 'Vogue' February 2013

Rooney Mara is picture perfect on the cover of Vogue‘s February 2013 issue, on newsstands nationwide January 22.

Here is what the 27-year-old Side Effects actress had to share with the mag:

On working with Terrence Malick: “He’s a genius… it was definitely the most challenging experience, just because every day is different. So even if one day you got into your groove or got the hang of it, the next day would be something else.”

On playing a bunch of different characters: “It’s been very strange, jumping from one character to the next. All four of them were very intense experiences. . . . I really feel sometimes like those things are happening to me. Obviously they’re not. But it’s hard going from one to the next. And I’m hypercritical of myself. Anytime I see anything I’ve done, I wish that it had gone differently because you figure it out as you go along, and you’re always discovering new things. I’d probably feel that way about anything that I did.”

On having to dress up for her job: “The thing is, it’s kind of an annoying part of the job—because I’m not a model, and I don’t want to be. I didn’t try to be a style icon. I’m just not that interested in that world. But it does matter, and either I can fight that or I just have to accept that it is a part of my job, and I may as well wear things that I like and that represent me.”

For more from Rooney, visit Vogue.com!