For Tessa Thompson, Loving Hedda Was Red
The Golden Globe nominee discusses reimagining Hedda Gabler for a new era.
You’d be hard-pressed to find an actor who doesn’t dream of playing Hedda Gabler, the infamous antiheroine of Henrik Ibsen’s play. Still, Tessa Thompson admits she hesitated. “It’s such a canonical piece. You should have a real reason to do it,” she says. That reason arrived in the form of director Nia DaCosta, who reimagined the role specifically for Thompson. In DaCosta’s version, Hedda remains as manipulative and mercurial as ever, but with the added complexities of being a biracial, queer woman navigating the suffocating codes of postwar 1950s Britain. When her ex-lover (Nina Hoss) arrives at Gabler’s dinner party with a new girlfriend (Imogen Poots), Gabler sets chaos in motion—an energy Thompson welcomed. “I like to play messy characters, because that's the way that I experience being human. It resonates with me.” So much so that the performance earned the 42-year-old her first Golden Globe nomination for best actress.
Had you read the play Hedda Gabler before starring in the film?
I was in love with the play. Nia DaCosta had seen a production of Hedda Gabler, and she thought, Why isn’t it as funny, or sexy or dangerous, as it feels on the page? So she adapted it. She took it apart and put it back together with both of us in mind. Hedda’s complexity and the things that are in conflict inside of her messy nature fascinated me. She is someone who acts on her intrusive thoughts and plays in those dark spaces that we’re all a little nervous to admit exist inside of us.
In the opening scene of the film, you are wearing a beautiful gown.
An extraordinary red dress that’s really tight, with hip pads and a cinched waist. That costume informs so much. I’m obsessed with these crimson colors. There’s something about the energetics of red that feels really powerful. And spoiler: Hedda’s a woman who likes to set things on fire.
Thompson wears a Gucci trenchcoat and headscarf; Oliver Peoples sunglasses.
Did you create a character for this W shoot?
I was an actress who was playing Marie Antoinette, and I was imagining that her character was seeping into her. I felt it was very “Let them eat cake.”
Were you theatrical as a child?
I loved to put on a show for my family. I was doing a lot of tap dancing at home. I would do music videos. At one point, I happened to walk by a casting office, and they thought I had a cool look. I did a couple of commercials, and then, in my 20s, I started auditioning. My car used to be my closet. I’d be taking the heels off for one audition and putting on the tennis shoes for another.
When did you first wear high heels?
I so looked forward to being a woman and getting to wear heels. I wore them as soon as I could stand. I love the way heels change the way you move through space. I had very glamorous grandmothers, women from the ’50s, and I used to go into my grandmother’s closet and put on her high heels. In fact, I looked at photographs of them when I was preparing to play Hedda.
What is your sign?
Libra. Many people think a Libra is hugely indecisive. I would say we see all sides. I’m inclined to believe in anything, because I’m too afraid if I don’t believe it, it ends up being true. I haven’t gotten into past lives, but I think that’s my next venture.
Thompson wears a Gucci trenchcoat, headscarf, and boots; Oliver Peoples sunglasses. Codirector Frank Lebon wears a Bottega Veneta jacket, shirt, and pants; Church’s shoes.
Do you think you're more like a dog or a cat?
A cat. Cats are fiercely independent, and they're changeable. They cuddle on you one minute, and the next minute they don't want to be around you, or they want to scratch you. Hedda’s definitely a cat. They're self-sufficient, in a way. I wish I were more like a dog.
What was your first red carpet look?
A beautiful Rodarte dress. It was gorgeous. I used to think of fashion as a kind of armor. Because I grew up watching musicians mostly, like Bowie and Prince, I always wanted to be something so far outside of myself and to do that in really wild and unexpected ways. Sometimes I took that translation onto the red carpet. I don't regret it, but I've grown into a space of it being more of an extension of how I am every day. I don't think you need a crazy-special occasion to express yourself with fashion.
Do you have a favorite reality show?
The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City. There's something about Salt Lake City in general that I find fascinating. The women on that show also really love fashion. Not that other Housewives don't, but they really love fashion and wear some extraordinary things. They live outside of a major metropolitan city, so there's something about it that’s all-consuming in a way that feels very authentic and relaxing. If you could travel there, take a break from your life, and just be in Salt Lake City and inside of those relationships and dynamics, it would be so immersive.
Style Director: Allia Alliata di Montereale. Codirector: Frank Lebon. Director of photography: André Chemetoff. Hair by Jawara for L’Oréal Professional at Art Partner; makeup by Lauren Parsons for Sisley Paris at Art Partner; manicure by Jolene Brodeur for Dazzle Dry at the Wall Group. Set design by David White at Streeters.
