Written Interview With Nia DaCosta

1. How creatively interesting was it to know that your whole environment, the movie was gonna be stationed just at this one house and this one party?

Answer ND: It was great. I loved it. And I really wanted it to be a party. You know, the play is set in one room or like in two rooms, essentially. And you know, it's a play, and that's fine.

2. This film consists of an impressive and talented ensemble of actors. Can you talk about the casting process and how you saw these actors bringing your characters to life?

Answer ND: Absolutely. Yeah. So Tessa Thompson, you know, years and years, she's like more or less attached to the movie. Then Nina Hoss was next, which was like the easiest decision on the planet, you know? She's a stunning actress I've loved for a long time. And we sat and we talked about the movie and she really got it and was passionate about Eileen. And so that was really straightforward. We went through a lot of people for George part because of the strike. So Eve Hewson and Callum Turner were actually cast before the strikes. And then after, they had to leave and do other things. So then we got Tom Bateman and Imogen Poots, which I feel so lucky about.

And so that was like that process for those characters. Oh, and Nicholas Pinnock was also, I think after Nina, like just was the only person we went to for that role. And then Des Hamilton and Jo Harris cast the rest of the film. Des Hamilton is someone I've worked with since Top Boy. He's on all of my films since, well, he didn't do Candyman, but everything I've done since then the Marvel film, 28 and this, he's cast. And he really is so good at finding interesting staggeringly talented cast. And something that I love that he does is he sort of aggressively makes them improvise at the end of every scene without saying that that's what's gonna happen.

We'll just do the scene and then he'll just start talking to 'em in character, and you can immediately tell who can like keep up and who can't. And we usually cast people who can keep up. And it's such a fun experience. And it really means that I find actors who are not only excellent, but also are so able to just be in an ensemble, go with the flow, invent and completely embody their characters. So I got so lucky. And some of my tertiary and secondary cast are, you know, leads on TV shows and in theater and they're here just like hanging out with me. And it was amazing.

(Thanks to Prime Video for the opportunity)