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Where did you do all the post? "Entirely in London. We rented some space just off Soho, and I did all the editing there with Danish editor Jacob Schulsinger, who co-edited Lars von Trier's Nymphomaniac and edited Big Little Lies for HBO. He wasn't on the set at all. We just sent dailies and he worked on them for the entire shoot from Copenhagen. I've known Jacob for about 10 years, and I've always wanted to work with him, and on Hedda I was ready to explore another editor relationship, and so I asked him quite early on to edit the film. But he lives in Denmark, and so in post we worked a week together in London, and then a week remote, and then I would do a week in Copenhagen. So, every other week we'd see each other, and he was very creative. Then Union did all the VFX work, which was mainly cleanup and mak- ing it period-correct, like removing a lot of modern things, such as security cameras, and actors' tattoos and earring holes for closeup shots. We also had shots with Tom where the continuity of the sweat on his face was not correct, so we had to redo and add sweat with VFX." What were the main editing challenges? "The script is quite talky — it is based on a play after all, and I think for us, the beginning was the most challenging part, because we knew once Eileen arrived on the scene, things really kick off, and the pace is relentless, and that's something that I really love about the edit. So, we knew we wanted a measured first act, but we didn't want it to be like molasses, you know? We wanted it to really feel engaging, so I think our biggest chal- lenge was dealing with that, as the most changes we made and the most different versions we had were all in the first 20 to 25 minutes of the film, just trying to situate everyone in the story, but also, crucially, with Hedda's character." What was the most difficult scene to cut and why? "Such a good question, and it was the scene in the bedroom between George and Hedda, at the very top of the film, when he's like, 'Make sure you're nice to this person,' and she's basically getting him dressed and ready. That scene had two other sections that we cut out, and then we had to figure out how, with the blocking, to make the scene seamless. And we tried to make it work for a long time, and eventually Jacob just figured it out. I think sometimes editors can feel just like technicians, or they're made to feel like technicians because the direc- tor's basically just telling them what to do. But with me and Jacob, I really have to say it's a very creative collaboration." Did you do test screenings during post? "We did, but we didn't do any studio test screenings. I like to show it to people who I think are smart, and who are great filmmakers, and get their input, and it's a mix of friends and people I don't know — just whoever I think will be really honest with me. The best compliment I've got- ten from friends who've seen the movie is, 'This movie feels like you.' And that, to me, is very important." How important is all the sound and music to you as a filmmaker? "So important, and I loved working in sound design and with the score by Icelandic composer Hildur Guðnadóttir. We had some of the music before we even shot, as she'd already written enough, and we had some of the crazy percussion at the end, which echoes Hedda's state of mind, so that the editor could be placing things. And then, obviously, she was writing all the way through the shoot and during post, as we realized we needed extra things. So on-set, it was really cool to be able to play some of the score for the actors and say, 'This is sort of what I'm thinking for this scene,' and see how that influenced and changed what they did. Then during the edit, we wrote the love theme. And I'm there almost every day for sound design, especially when there's a certain sequence where I feel it's really import- ant, but because I'm so specific about what I want. They're really good at being able to take my notes and run with them. The supervising sound editor was Ben Meechan, and we did some of the mix at his facility, Bleat Post Production." You obviously love the whole post process? "I do, but post used to be so torturous for me. I think it's because as a director, you shoot all this stuff, you get through each day, and then you get to post, and you're like, 'What have I shot? What have I done?' But on Hedda, I really loved post. It was so gratifying, so fun, and I also think it helps that I also had final cut, more or less. It's not in my contract, but I work with people who say, 'We want your cut of the movie, not ours,' and they were so collaborative and made the film better with their notes, but also let me make the movie I wanted to make." www.postmagazine.com 13 POST NOV/DEC 2025 After the 35-day shoot, post production took place in London.