Podtalk: Rebecca Hall on Her Directorial Debut for ‘Passing’

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CHICAGO – Rebecca Hall is not content being one of the best actors of her generation. She also has directed her first feature film, “Passing,” streaming on Netflix beginning November 10th, 2021. Set in the 1920s, the story is of two female friends who reconnect after many years, revealing secrets affecting both of them.

’Passing,’ Directed by Rebecca Hall
Photo credit: Neflix

Rating: 3.5/5.0

The film is an adaptation of a novel by Nella Larsen that was published in 1929. The two friends in the story are black – Irene (Tessa Thompson) and Claire (Ruth Negga) – who were friends as teenagers, but had lost touch as adults. On a hot New York City day, Irene spots her old friend in a hotel tea room, and finds out light-skinned Claire has been passing for white. In their reunion, Claire admires Irene’s upper middle class lifestyle in Harlem, and seeks to go back to her roots, including developing a friendship with Irene’s physician husband Brian (André Holland). Both women experience implications they didn’t expect.

This film of duality effectively questions the nature of identity, and what events in life occur once a decision is made on how a person present themselves. Like Rebecca Hall’s deep commitment to acting, her directorial debut in “Passing” expresses a point of view that is personal – her maternal grandfather was black – and expressive in storytelling.

Rebecca Hall at the 57th Chicago International Film Festival
Photo credit: Joe Arce of Starstruck Foto for HollywoodChicago.com

Rebecca Hall has been a name actor in films since 2008, when she nominated for a Best Actress Golden Globe for “Vicky Christina Barcelona,” followed by roles in “The Town,” “Everything Must Go,” “Iron Man 3” and “The Gift.” Hall had a breakthrough in 2016 with “Christine,” portraying Christine Chubbuck … a woman who worked for a local news station in Florida, and took her life on the air. This year, she had the well-received lead role in “The Night House.” She has performed in many roles on stage, including Shakespeare, and has often been directed by her father Peter Hall, the founder of the Royal Shakespeare Company. She was photographed by Joe Arce at the 57th Chicago International Film Festival.

Another Creative Angle for Rebecca Hall
Photo credit: Joe Arce of Starstruck Foto for HollywoodChicago.com

In PART ONE of a Podtalk with Rebecca Hall of “Passing” by Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com, the actor talks about her experiences as director …

In PART TWO Hall goes back to the 1920s, and reflections on her high quality of actor art …

MORE REBECCA HALL on the Red Carpet at the 57th Chicago International Film Festival, click REBECCA HALL.

By PATRICK McDONALD Editor and Film Writer HollywoodChicago.com pat@hollywoodchicago.com