Phoenix 24
Wooden bats, close attention and trust shaped her performance.
DUBLIN, Ireland | June 2026
Eve Hewson has recalled the unusual directing method Steven Spielberg used during one of their earliest collaborations, describing an experience that changed how she understood emotional support on a film set. The actress said Spielberg struck two wooden bats together outside the camera frame to provoke genuine surprise during a tense scene. Rather than leaving her to manufacture the reaction alone, he created a practical stimulus tailored to the moment. Hewson later described him as the most attentive director she had encountered at that stage of her career.
The episode occurred while filming Bridge of Spies, the 2015 historical drama starring Tom Hanks and Mark Rylance. Hewson had a relatively small role, but the production gave her an early opportunity to work with one of Hollywood’s most influential filmmakers. Spielberg’s method was unconventional because it relied on a physical sound rather than a verbal instruction about how fear should appear. The sudden impact helped her body react before her mind could overprepare the scene.
For Hewson, the technique demonstrated that directing can involve understanding what a specific performer needs rather than applying the same process to every actor. Some directors offer detailed psychological explanations, while others concentrate on camera position, timing or movement. Spielberg responded to the practical difficulty of the scene by creating an immediate sensory experience. The result made her feel supported instead of judged.
That early collaboration also created a professional connection that continued long after the film was completed. Spielberg followed Hewson’s work in productions including The Luminaries, Behind Her Eyes and Bad Sisters. Those performances allowed her to move beyond the public identity attached to being the daughter of U2 singer Bono. She gradually established herself through roles combining vulnerability, ambiguity and dark humor.
The relationship later led Spielberg to contact her for Disclosure Day, his science-fiction thriller centered on the possible revelation of extraterrestrial life and a government effort to preserve the secret. Hewson said the opportunity arrived unexpectedly through a call from her agent. Spielberg told her that he had been watching her career, felt proud of her progress and had a script he wanted her to read. The character, Jane, was not a minor part but one of the story’s central figures.
Hewson said the significance of the role became clear from the script’s opening page. Jane appears immediately and remains essential throughout the narrative, placing the actress at the center of a major studio production. Before the formal offer, she met Spielberg virtually to discuss the character and exchange ideas. The conversation reinforced the collaborative atmosphere she had remembered from their first film.
Her experience on Disclosure Day also confirmed that Spielberg’s attentiveness was not limited to technical tricks. Hewson described him as emotionally engaged during demanding scenes, sometimes reacting visibly while watching from behind the monitor. When an actor cried, she said, he could be crying as well. That response created the impression that the director was participating in the emotional reality of the performance rather than observing it from a detached distance.
The film required Hewson to perform intense scenes opposite Colin Firth. She compared the exhaustion at the end of some shooting days to the fatigue produced by a difficult physical workout. Emotional acting can demand repeated exposure to fear, grief or conflict while technical adjustments force performers to repeat the same moment from different angles. A supportive environment can therefore become as important as preparation.
One particularly stressful sequence was filmed in front of an unusually prominent audience. Barack Obama and Spielberg were among those watching, while security personnel and rooftop snipers added another layer of pressure around the location. Hewson had to remain focused on the scene despite the awareness that influential political and cinematic figures were observing her. The circumstances made the emotional demands of the performance even more intense.
Spielberg’s directing style appears to have helped neutralize that pressure. By concentrating on the actor’s immediate needs, he reduced the distance created by his own reputation and the scale of the production. Hewson did not describe him as permissive or undemanding, but as someone capable of combining high expectations with emotional safety. That balance allowed difficult scenes to feel challenging without becoming isolating.
Her comments also reveal how small interactions can shape an actor’s relationship with a director. The sound of two wooden bats may appear almost trivial compared with the complexity of a major film production. Yet the gesture communicated that Spielberg was paying close attention to the precise obstacle she faced. It showed that technique can be personal, inventive and responsive rather than rigid.
Hewson now encourages other actors to take every project seriously because Spielberg may be watching even when they assume a production is too small to attract his attention. Her own career demonstrates that directors often remember performances encountered outside major blockbusters. Consistent work can create opportunities years later. The invitation to lead Disclosure Day emerged from a professional impression formed and strengthened over time.
Despite her expanding international career, Hewson continues to maintain a close connection with Dublin and her family. During the promotional period for the Spielberg film, she was working in Ireland on another production involving motorcycle racing alongside Channing Tatum. She also said that she still spends Friday nights watching films with her parents. The routine offers a contrast with the scale of her Hollywood projects.
The announcement of her role in Disclosure Day changed the attention surrounding her before the film had even reached audiences. Hewson received messages from people and industry professionals who had not contacted her in years. She joked that everyone, including former dentists, seemed likely to watch the movie. The reaction illustrated how association with a Spielberg production can instantly alter an actor’s visibility.
That visibility also brings pressure because a central role in a major science-fiction film will expose her work to a much larger audience. Hewson has built her reputation gradually through television and independent projects, where performances can develop without the same level of global expectation. Disclosure Day places her inside a different industrial scale. Spielberg’s trust becomes both an opportunity and a significant responsibility.
Her recollection of the wooden bats ultimately captures the foundation of that trust. The method was memorable not because it was dramatic, but because it was designed specifically for her. Spielberg recognized what the scene required and helped produce the reaction without undermining her confidence. Years later, he returned with a role that acknowledged how far she had developed.
Great direction begins by understanding what each performer needs. / La gran dirección comienza al comprender lo que cada intérprete necesita.