I have a broad palette. I’m more drawn to the director—and James L. Brooks and Ira Sachs have made some of my favorite films. Broadcast News is as good as it gets. I love seeing these people operate.

You’re also now officially in the world of Ryan Murphy, with The Beauty and the next season of Monster.
That is super fun and I am having a totally delightful time. I am loving just getting to explore some wild, fun, crazy characters. My first proper introduction to his work was Feud, the Bette and Joan story—because I was so jealous that he got to make it! I really wanted to make it! I’ve been obsessed with Bette Davis forever. It got me into all his other work—I love how neat his worlds are, and tremendously fun, flamboyant, and colorful. He shows how many different ways there are to tell stories, and so many different stories to be told.

Are you keeping up your painting practice?
I have a show on at Half Gallery in New York right now with five of my paintings—I’ve sold everything else. They’re from different times in my life. I haven’t had much time in the studio, and I can’t travel with my oil paints everywhere I go. As soon as I’m done here, I’ll get back in the studio and start churning them out again, because that’s therapy for me.

I love your audience paintings.
I only had two of them left from the whole series to show! I collected photographs and images from people, various performers across various disciplines—photos of the audience before they walked on stage, screen grabs—all so I could paint audiences in different ways. I’ve had an entire career doing things that people watch, and I’ve built up this relationship with them, and I wanted to engage more thoughtfully with it. One in the show is just from my imagination, of a generic cinema. Another is based on a photo I took of the audience behind me on the first night of the play Sarah Paulson was in, called Appropriate on Broadway. People are filtering in, someone has a COVID mask on, someone looks stressed. It was such a fun series, I will return to it!

What’s happening with your next proposed directing project, Four Days Like Sunday?
The status is… that independent cinema is really hard to get financed and I’m still trying to raise a large chunk of money. I’ll make that film one day. I might put it on hold for a minute and direct something else.

What are you watching, reading, or listening to right now?
I still check in on The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City, but otherwise I’m just reading a lot of scripts. I just read Enter Ghost by Isabella Hammad. I’m behind on all the recent new movies.

We’ve hit the ground running with awards season. What will you wear? Your Thom Browne look at the Academy Museum Gala was incredible.
It was so fun to wear because everybody in the room assumed that I had just painted my naked torso. I mean… possible? People were looking at me, quite shocked. But no, actually, I thought, I’m more dressed than you are right now! I’m always excited to play around with fashion and push myself. I love Kallmeyer—she’s my go-to for everything. I love Aflalo—the balloon pants, the draped pieces. I’m working up to a big press tour for The Beauty, so there’s lots of opportunity for something fabulous.

Peter Hujar’s Day and Ella McCay are out now. The Beauty will debut in January 2026. “Innerdisciplinary” at Half Gallery is on show through December 13, 2025.

Frequently Asked Questions
Of course Here is a list of FAQs about Rebecca Halls career pivot and her role in Ryan Murphys series

General Beginner Questions

Q Who is Rebecca Hall
A Shes a highly respected BritishAmerican actress and director known for intelligent nuanced performances in films like Vicky Cristina Barcelona The Town The Gift and Christine She also wrote and directed the acclaimed film Passing

Q What is the biopic shes moving past
A This refers to her 2020 directorial debut Passing which was a critically acclaimed adaptation of Nella Larsens novel While not a standard biopic it was a period drama dealing with weighty historical themes of race and identity

Q What Ryan Murphy project did she join
A She joined the cast of the Netflix series The Ambassador which is part of Ryan Murphys overall deal with the streamer Its a thriller set in the world of wealth and diplomacy

Q So shes going from serious dramas to Ryan Murphy Isnt that a big shift
A Yes and thats exactly what makes it interesting Shes moving from a selfdirected intimate period piece to a highprofile stylized and plotdriven series from a producer known for bold entertaining and sometimes campy television

Career Creative Choice Questions

Q Why would she choose to join a Ryan Murphy show after something like Passing
A Actors often seek variety and new challenges After the intense personal work of writing and directing Passing a role in a sleek wellproduced thriller likely offers a different kind of creative exercisefocusing purely on performance within a dynamic popular genre

Q Is this a step down for her
A Not at all Its a strategic career move Ryan Murphys projects attract massive audiences and critical attention It allows her to showcase her talent to a wider more mainstream audience while working with a renowned producer

Q What kind of role is she playing in The Ambassador