In Nia DaCosta’s “Hedda,” Tessa Thompson’s titular socialite sows chaos. She manipulates. She cuts people to the bone with a quip. She pours more drinks. Henrik Ibsen's classic heroine is a blistering tour de force for Thompson.
The Afternoon WireTrump gives disaster declarations to Alaska and others but denies Illinois, Vermont and MarylandSatellite images show before and after of demolition of White House East WingDodgers LHP Alex Vesia not with team in Toronto on eve of World Series because of family matterPicasso portrait of muse Dora Maar in vivid hat, long hidden from view, sells for 32 million eurosTrump says a Canadian ad misstated Ronald Reagan's views on tariffs.
Here are the facts and contextRare dinosaur mummies help scientists recreate their prehistoric livesAn elephant family smashed pumpkins at the Oregon Zoo. But this baby just wanted to play ballAh, rats! Researchers say some other critter likely created Chicago's 'rat hole' sidewalk landmarkWedding etiquette includes being mindful of how much it costs guests to attendDuring cold and flu season, the youngest kids really are the germiestWalking is good for you. Walking backward can add to the benefitsOne of the world's rarest whales that makes the Atlantic its home grows in populationUS ice cream makers say they'll stop using artificial dyes by 2028During cold and flu season, the youngest kids really are the germiestMicrosoft hopes Mico succeeds where Clippy failed as tech companies warily imbue AI with personalityEating the wrong foods can keep you up at night. A new cookbook offers a better planKing Charles III prays with pope in historic visit, a welcome respite from royal troubles at homeFallece familia de candidato a gobernador de Illinois tras accidente de helicópteroVance califica de “insulto” votación del Parlamento israelí sobre anexión de Cisjordania Here are the facts and contextRare dinosaur mummies help scientists recreate their prehistoric livesAn elephant family smashed pumpkins at the Oregon Zoo. But this baby just wanted to play ballAh, rats! Researchers say some other critter likely created Chicago's 'rat hole' sidewalk landmarkWedding etiquette includes being mindful of how much it costs guests to attendDuring cold and flu season, the youngest kids really are the germiestWalking is good for you. Walking backward can add to the benefitsOne of the world's rarest whales that makes the Atlantic its home grows in populationUS ice cream makers say they'll stop using artificial dyes by 2028During cold and flu season, the youngest kids really are the germiestMicrosoft hopes Mico succeeds where Clippy failed as tech companies warily imbue AI with personalityEating the wrong foods can keep you up at night. A new cookbook offers a better planKing Charles III prays with pope in historic visit, a welcome respite from royal troubles at homeFallece familia de candidato a gobernador de Illinois tras accidente de helicópteroVance califica de “insulto” votación del Parlamento israelí sobre anexión de CisjordaniaActor Tessa Thompson poses for a portrait to promote the film “Hedda” during the Toronto International Film Festival on Sept. 8, 2025, in Toronto. Actor Tessa Thompson poses for a portrait to promote the film “Hedda” during the Toronto International Film Festival on Sept. 8, 2025, in Toronto. This image released by Amazon Prime shows Tessa Thompson, center, in a scene from “Hedda.” Actor Tessa Thompson poses for a portrait to promote the film “Hedda” during the Toronto International Film Festival on Sept. 8, 2025, in Toronto. Actor Tessa Thompson poses for a portrait to promote the film “Hedda” during the Toronto International Film Festival on Sept. 8, 2025, in Toronto. Actor Tessa Thompson poses for a portrait to promote the film “Hedda” during the Toronto International Film Festival on Sept. 8, 2025, in Toronto. Actor Tessa Thompson poses for a portrait to promote the film “Hedda” during the Toronto International Film Festival on Sept. 8, 2025, in Toronto. Actor Tessa Thompson poses for a portrait to promote the film “Hedda” during the Toronto International Film Festival on Sept. 8, 2025, in Toronto. This image released by Amazon Prime shows Tessa Thompson, center, in a scene from “Hedda.” This image released by Amazon Prime shows Tessa Thompson, center, in a scene from “Hedda.” Actor Tessa Thompson poses for a portrait to promote the film “Hedda” during the Toronto International Film Festival on Sept. 8, 2025, in Toronto. Actor Tessa Thompson poses for a portrait to promote the film “Hedda” during the Toronto International Film Festival on Sept. 8, 2025, in Toronto. Tessa Thompson’s titular socialite sows chaos. She manipulates. She cuts people to the bone with a quip. She pours more drinks. Hedda Gabler, the heroine of Henrik Ibsen’s 1890 play, has long been one of theater’s most tragic figures, a woman hemmed in by societal convention and her own dread of scandal. She is that, and more, in“Many think of her as a woman that’s suicidal,” Thompson says. “I think of her as someone who’s dying to live, and dying to live on her own terms. She might do some pretty questionable things in the pursuit of that, but I think the actual pursuit is really aspirational and beautiful.” “Hedda,” which opens in theaters Friday and streams Oct. 29 on Prime Video, is a blistering tour de force for Thompson. In the two-decade career of the 42-year-old Los Angeles native, no role has given Thompson a more complicated, contradiction-rife character that showcases all her charisma, all her cunning, all her capacity to stir things up. It’s a somewhat rare full-view of Thompson, who has generally favored ensembles, from Marvel movies to “Creed.” And it’s something spikier and sexier for Thompson, whose roles — empathetic, kindhearted — have often hewed closer to her own thoughtful personality. But in “Hedda,” Thompson is brash and brutal. “Even the dress, taking up that amount of space is really an exercise in taking up space,” Thompson said, relaxing in a Toronto hotel restaurant shortly before “Hedda” premiered earlier this fall. “I’m sensitive to people, I would say. I used to say that I’m a people pleaser and then I read a really fantastic thing that said: So you’re a people pleaser. How many people are currently pleased with you?” Thompson lets out a great laugh. Far from accruing enemies, Thompson has steadily built a wide following for the nuance and intelligence she brings to a wide swath of roles. “Hedda” has her in the mix for a best actress Oscar nomination this year. Whether that comes to be or not, it’s a performance that firmly lodges Thompson in a pantheon of Hedda Gablers, from Ingrid Bergman to Cate Blanchett. “It’s daunting but it’s incredible to be part of a tradition,” says Thompson. “It some ways, it puts pressure on, but in some ways it alleviates it. This is not the be-all-end-all. There are so many versions, and we’re doing our own. And I’m also of the mind that if you’re going to take any classical piece, you should have real skin in the game.”And for both Thompson and DaCosta, “Hedda” is a highly personal film. DaCosta, who also wrote the adaptation, makes significant alterations to Ibsen’s drama while remaining faithful to its tragic underpinnings. Her “Hedda” transfers the play from 19th century Norway to 1950s England. Here, Gabler is queer, but not openly, and instead has taken social shelter by impetuously marrying a wealthy man . On the chaotic night of the film, they are hosting a lavish party at their massive country estate. One of the most notable guests is Eileen Lovborg , a former lover of Hedda’s who isn’t hiding her sexuality or her ambition. With Eileen is her girlfriend and a new manuscript that seems destined to buoy her career as a writer and professor. The gender switch allows DaCosta’s film to offer a portrait of not just one but a trio of women, each swimming their own way through a white, male patriarchy. Thompson and DaCosta have been friends since meeting at the Sundance Labs. DaCosta’s directing debut, the 2018 indie crime drama “Little Woods,” starred Thompson. DaCosta says she wrote “Hedda” for her. “I knew she could do it and I knew she would surprise me,” DaCosta says. “She’s kind of a big-sister energy, so loving and kind of the opposite of this character. But she’s incredible at playing these characters who have so much going on that they can’t show. Like in ‘Passing.’” “Hedda” shares some DNA with Rebecca Hall’s 2021 drama. It starred Thompson as a Black woman and Ruth Negga as her white-passing friend in 1920s New York. “Hedda,” likewise revolves around a character who is hiding — in some instances ruthlessly so — her true nature from both society and herself. “In that way, I feel like it’s really modern. I think we kind of all do that,” says Thompson. “It’s death by increments. We sort of have to cut off parts of ourselves to fit inside whatever. I experience that even in Hollywood. There are certain things that fundamentally don’t really work for me and I kind of make them work because I want to exist inside of this industry.”Thompson started acting in Los Angeles theater. Her break came in the series “Veronica Mars.” Then came parts in acclaimed independent films like “Dear White People” , “Selma” , “Sorry to Bother You” and “Sylvie’s Love” . In between, she’s mixed in franchises: as Valkyrie in the MCU, the aspiring singer in the “Creed” trilogy and starring in 2019’s “Men in Black: International.” Mostly, Thompson has made a career on her own terms. She came out publicly as bisexual in 2018. With her production company, she has turned producer for films like “Hedda.” “I’ve found, in a way that Hedda hasn’t, a kind of agency,” Thompson says. “Starting a production company some years ago was really helpful in that regard, the ability to develop something to feel less like a cog in something moving. Also to be able to, frankly, sometimes take myself out of the frame.” But it’s clear that Hedda has left a mark on Thompson. The character, she acknowledges, is one she’s still pondering like a puzzle that can’t be completely solved. “There’s a such a paradox in her,” she says. “She’s fixated on existing inside of society. On the other hand, she’s brave enough to do many of the things that you would not do if you have that interest. But she’s not brave enough to do the ultimate thing, which is to decide to live outside of the parameters of what’s expected of her. In that way, she’s a total, total coward. Like many of us.”Coyle has been a film critic and covered the movie industry for The Associated Press since 2013. He is based in New York City.
Tessa Thompson Cate Blanchett Ruth Negga Henrik Ibsen Rebecca Hall Nina Hoss Hedda Gablers Los Angeles General News International News California Eileen Lovborg Ingrid Bergman Tom Bateman Entertainment Toronto U.S. News Movies U.S. News
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Parallel paths brought Nia DaCosta and Tessa Thompson back together for 'Hedda'Their collaboration as confidantes goes back years, but for DaCosta and Thompson, their bold adaptation of 'Hedda Gabler' is a peak for both the filmmaker and the actor.
Read more »
In Hedda, Tessa Thompson Is Black, Queer, Messy & Chaotic — It’s Exhilarating To WatchThis edition of What's Good is all about Hedda, starring Tessa Thompson and directed by Nia DaCosta, in theaters now and streaming on Prime Video on October 29. We also spoke to Thompson and DaCosta about the film.
Read more »
Chanel Celebrates Première Galon Watch With Tessa Thompson, Riley Keough and MoreRiley Keough, Tessa Thompson, Sarah Pidgeon & More attend a Chanel dinner for the Première Galon watch at Chateau Royale.
Read more »
Tessa Thompson’s Best Style Moments Prove She’s Mastered the Cool Girl LookWhether she's out and about or heading to a red carpet, the actor loves a look that’s slightly “wrong.”
Read more »
This is not your grandmother's 'Hedda'Tessa Thompson schemes, manipulates and awes in Nia DaCosta's dazzling adaptation of Hedda Gabler.
Read more »
Tessa Thompson Shines As a New HeddaNia DaCosta's adaptation of Hedda Gabler has a powerhouse star, confident direction, and maybe a smidge of compromise with its source.
Read more »