Actress Tessa Thompson’s awards shelf is about to get a little more crowded.
Thompson is being honored with a Distinguished Performance Award at this year’s SCAD Savannah Film Festival for her performance in “Hedda,” writer-director Nia DaCosta’s bold new take on the classic Ibsen play “Hedda Gabler.”
In “Hedda” — which began streaming globally on Prime Video October 29th — Thompson plays the title character, a woman who manipulates everyone around her during an all-night, alcohol-fueled party.
“I do think that she is someone that wants very deeply to be loved,” says Thompson of the complex character. “And I do think she’s someone that is capable of love. But I think that one of the things, foundationally, that love requires is to be seen by somebody…and to see. And I don’t think she’s currently capable of that.”
Tom Bateman and Nina Hoss co-star as the husband and former lover caught in Hedda’s destructive spiral — and both actors say a particular challenge of the movie was portraying their characters’ increasing intoxication.
“When they start going ‘camera’s rolling,’ I just spin on the spot as fast as I can,” reveals Bateman of “playing drunk” during filming. “And then they go ‘action,’ and you just do everything that you can, because your vision’s doing what it does when you drink! So, you just have to focus on staying upright, which seems to work quite well!”
To hear more from the stars of “Hedda,” click the video player in this article. And click here for more information on the film.
