Actress Tessa Thompson takes the lead in the film Hedda, a reimagining of Henrik Ibsen’s 1891 classic Hedda Gabler, and also serves as a producer on the film. Directed by Nia DaCosta, the adaptation brings a contemporary lens to the original play and introduces a distinctly queer interpretation. During a global press conference, Thompson reflected on her decade-long creative partnership with DaCosta and spoke about revisiting Hedda Gabler for today’s audience.
About her Relationship with Nia DaCosta
Not just this, but Thompson faced certain challenges as an actor as well, including getting into the dress for her character, which she feels was not kind to her body. She continued, “It was challenging to gain an understanding of the piece. I did that by watching every adaptation I could get my hand on, reading all of the different translations of the work, and trying to understand architecturally why this a piece that has captivated us for so long. Wearing that dress – the boning and construction of 1950s silhouettes, which are not the kindest to a body, was also challenging. But what’s inherent in the design is the idea that Hedda Gabler is confined and constricted, not just by her time but by her choices.”
Adapting a 130-year-old material also meant that they had to be careful about placing it in the modern context so that it finds relatability. Thompson elaborated, “Something that really struck me was obviously this huge fundamental change that Nia’s made by making a character who’s typically a man, Eilert Lovborg, into Eileen Lovborg It makes the piece queer in a way that the original piece isn’t. It also gives Hedda a real foil. Another woman who’s in the world and making very different choices. Our piece wants to explore pathways to personhood and gaining agency over one’s life. In the original piece, you have Hedda saying, “For once, I want to be in control of a man’s destiny.” And I think in our piece, you see a woman struggling with trying to be in control of her own. Those struggles, even the ones that Eileen are facing of trying to be taken seriously in spaces that are male dominated, is something that I understand.”
The Thor: Ragnarok actress added, “We exist now in a time where there’s so much positivity around sisterhood or women in relation to each other and I am grateful for that. And this is a woman [Hedda] isn’t necessarily interested in that. She acts out of jealousy and envy. The idea of a woman being quite jealous of another woman and acting out on does not have a lot of grace in the world that we live in now, which I appreciate. But if these feelings are left unchecked, and we don’t allow ourselves to sit with those feelings, we actually cut off parts of ourselves that are important. That was something interesting to unpack through playing her. And something that I’m really interested in modern audiences to engage with.”
Hedda is streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
Also Read: Nia DaCosta Explains The Bold Queer Reimagining of Hedda, Talks About Her Bond With Tessa Thompson
