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Chloé Zhao is shedding light on a different kind of superpower she has as a filmmaker, as the Oscar nominated director is all set for her next big project Hamnet. Zhao is known for her work on indie films, carrying a sense of alterity to her narratives as she delves into deeper pits of the stories she tells. She is now opening up on making films as a neurodivergent person, and how it actually comes across as a superpower to her.
Speaking at the BFI London Film Festival, she talked about being an actor's director, and being chased by questions as she puts her neurodiversity to work. The director quipped,
“I think it’s a superpower, I really do. And it’s a spectrum. So everyone is very different… I find that I question sometimes: am I not the typical one? Or has our world become a little bit too inhabitable? Is this too loud? Is it too bright? It’s too fast, you know? So I try to not think of it as less different. If I tune into how I function then I’m going to create a world, not just on camera, but also off camera, that is going to be healthy for me.”
She continued to talk about how she later started to understand it and put it to use to communicate with her actors as she added,
“It’s helpful if you are on set and just feeling the dissonance [with actors]. Even off camera, you want to go, ‘What is it?’ And usually in that kind of setting, they will share, and then you go, ‘Okay, what’s underneath is actually interesting. This is not what we wrote for this character in this moment. But that’s where you are right now. So are you willing to take the mask right now and let the world see what’s underneath?’"
More details on Chloe Zhao's Hamnet
Chloé Zhao serves as the director, co-writer, and co-editor for her next film, Paul Mescal and Jessie Buckley's Hamnet that has already stirred conversations before it's release. Adapted from Maggie O'Farrell's acclaimed 2020 novel of the same name, the story revolves around a fictional account of William Shakespeare and his wife Agnes as they deal with the death of their son Hamnet. The tragedy shapes both of their lives and gives life to Shakespeare's play Hamlet.
Joining Mescal and Buckley in the film are Joe Alwyn, Emily Watson, David Wilmot, Jacobi Jupe and Noah Jupe. The first trailer and screenings have already received massive support from fans and critics as Hamnet is shaping up to be one of the year's best watches. Premiering at the Telluride Film Festival, the film has already received Oscar buzz.
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Hamnet will be in theaters on 27 November 2025.
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