Tessa Thompson, Nia DaCosta on their reimagined ‘Hedda’ film adaptation

Tessa Thompson stars in director Nia DaCosta‘s Hedda.

The new movie is a reimagining of the classic Henrik Ibsen play about a newlywed whose simmering discontent hidden under outward composure threatens to explode when her former lover reenters her life.

Thompson spoke to ABC Audio about her approach in taking on the complex character.

“I’m really attracted to work that kind of tears you apart and puts you back together in new ways,” Thompson said. “I don’t think that any of us fit too squarely into any of the boxes we try to put ourselves in or that we’re put in by others. I think we are all so much more complicated and in conflict internally with all of our bits and pieces than we allow ourselves to be.”

The actress said that playing Hedda demands you to admit that to yourself.

“Otherwise you can’t do it,” Thompson said. “I was really grateful to be held to task and reminded by playing her that we are all really complicated as humans.”

DaCosta’s adaptation includes specific changes to the original text — including switching the gender of Hedda’s former lover from male to female. In the original play, the character is Ejlert Løvborg. In the film she becomes Eillen Lovborg, played by Nina Hoss.

“I wanted it to really be about Hedda, not Hedda Gabler, not Hedda Tesman, but Hedda, who is she without her father’s name, her husband’s name,” DaCosta said. “Ejlert Løvborg becomes Eileen in part because I wanted another woman, another parallel path for her. I wanted a foil to Hedda. And also Ejlert to me just made more sense as a woman … seeing another version of Hedda’s struggle on another female character, I thought, was really exciting.”