Hedda’s Tessa Thompson, Nia DaCosta and Nina Hoss reveal the secrets behind this sexy entrance

How do you capture what it’s like to fall head over heels? That’s the challenge writer/director Nia DaCosta faced in adapting Henrik Ibsen’s classic play. Hedda Gabler in a steamy and salacious sapphic romance.

Hedda stars Tessa Thompson as the eponymous antiheroine, a woman who craves luxury, love and freedom. And when she doesn’t get what she wants, she turns out to be a vicious mastermind. So when Hedda’s ex-lover, swapped by DaCosta to become Eileen Lovborg (Nina Hoss), shows up at the big party she’s throwing with her new husband George Tesman (Tom Bateman), trouble is in the air. But love too.

When Eileen enters the ballroom, she is elegant, robust and sensual, instantly impressing the audience and capturing the full attention of the mercurial Hedda. In interviews with DaCosta, Thompson, Hoss and Bateman, Mashable entertainment editor Kristy Puchko asked how that scene played out.

DaCosta got technical, sharing the precise details required of a camera effect that makes it appear as if Hedda is floating toward Eileen, a moth to the former flame. Hoss explained how it takes a village to create such a powerful moment in a film. Bateman provided an insightful comparison between Eileen’s entrance and the arrogance of Westerns, when a cowboy walks through the swinging doors of a saloon. For his part, Thompson shared the difficulty of playing this moment gracefully when one is fully aware of how goofy things look just outside the frame.

Enjoy this dive into the magic of cinema, then enjoy Hedda – currently playing on Prime Video.

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