At the 2025 IndieWire Honors ceremony, German actress Nina Hoss reminded the room why she’s one of the most quietly radical performers working today. Known for her thunderous turn as Cate Blanchett’s suffering wife in “Tár,” Hoss has re-emerged in director Nia DaCosta’s “Hedda” with a role so striking it cemented her as this year’s Spotlight Award recipient.
“I strangely feel pushed forwards and sheltered by you,” Hoss said. “It feels really beautiful, and you make me feel seen in what I do and what I try to do with my work.”
As Eileen Lövborg — a gender-flipped interpretation of Henrik Ibsen’s Eilert from “Hedda Gabler” — Hoss doesn’t step into a classic role; she shatters its framework, opening entirely new thematic and emotional pathways around power, desire, and the interior lives of women who refuse to shrink. Her presence is magnetic, and it’s easy to imagine future adaptations of the production taking their cues from her.
“Thank you to Tessa Thompson for being such an amazing, daring, dangerous dance partner,” she said. “Thank you for your willingness to explore deeply and have fun and run together with it.”
Touching on the risks she takes in her roles, and how those same risks drew her to Eileen in the first place, Hoss described finding something “deeply human” in the character. A woman fighting to be heard, taken seriously, and loved without conditions, Eileen reminded the actress of the women who have shaped her life and craft — “above all, my mother,” she said.
Hoss also introduced the room to the German word “durchhalten,” which she roughly translated to mean “stout-hearted” or emboldened through adversity using humor and wit. “Eileen is just that to me, she’s tougher,” said Hoss. “She hangs in there. I think that feels like a good word to have in your repertoire these days.”
That resilience was mirrored in the film’s collaborations. Hoss praised DaCosta for her sensitivity and courage, calling her an extraordinary partner in excavating a character that now feels destined for the canon. “Eileen shows us the struggle to be seen, to be heard, to be taken seriously, to be loved for who you are, and to be given the freedom to explore just that,” she said.
More than a spotlight moment, Hoss is celebrating a landmark one. She hasn’t just expanded one role for herself. She’s expanded the possibilities for every actress who comes next.
The event took place on Thursday, December 4, in Los Angeles with an intimate cocktail reception and awards ceremony. Stay tuned for more exclusive editorial and social content from the night, including video interviews, outtakes, and more.
Watch the complete acceptance speech from the winter 2025 IndieWire Honors ceremony above.