Claire Foy Talks New ‘H Is For Hawk’ Film And Her Own Creative Journey

Claire Foy in “H is for Hawk”

Roadside Attractions

For the past several years, Claire Foy has built a prominent and memorable acting career through her powerful performances in a wide array of roles – from her Golden Globe and Emmy-winning portrayal of Queen Elizabeth II in The Crown, as well as her deep character work in such films as Women Talking and All of Us Strangers.

Her thoughtful acting work remains on full display in her latest film, H is for Hawk. Based on the bestselling memoir from Helen Macdonald, H is for Hawk tells the emotional true story of a university professor who is stricken with grief, following the unexpected death of their father – ultimately finding comfort and a new purpose in life, by training a Goshawk bird of prey.

Sitting down with Foy, 41, for a virtual conversation this week to discuss her H is for Hawk film, which is now playing in theaters from Roadside Attractions in the U.S., the British actress revealed how this memoir-turned-film opportunity initially got on her radar.

Foy said, “So, I was working with Dede Gardner, the producer – we did Women Talking together. She said, ‘I’m going make this film. I would like you to read the book. And so, I did and I was really – moved isn’t really the right word for it. I was very overwhelmed and it stayed with me. Helen’s writing is beautiful and the book has had such a profound impact on so many people. It’s a really beautiful thing that’s happened with their memoir, where it means so much to people, that they share it with other people. I just think that’s an incredible thing. So, it wasn’t so much that I thought about the acting opportunity – it was more that I felt like this was the next thing I was doing, and I was going to do it, even if I didn’t know how.”

Fortunately, Foy was able to have direct conversations with the real Helen Macdonald that she portrays on-screen, saying that they spoke on Zoom before production began. “I wanted to make sure that I could thank them for the trust that they put in me,” Foy said. “Also, just to make sure that they were aware that my intentions were hopefully to honor their experience and not to kind of do anything weird with it. Luckily for me, I’ve got to spend time with them after we made the film and they’re just the best person to spend time with.”

With Foy having to spend plenty of hands-on time working with a real Goshawk, I was curious if she has noticed that her appreciation or outlook towards nature and wildlife has changed at all, following her H is for Hawk filmmaking experiences.

“I think that my relationship to birds and birds of prey, particularly, definitely changed. I think I’ve always been really aware that I am my best person if I have been outside, in whatever capacity that is. I think for me, birds of prey were like another world. They were not something that I had invested much time or thought. They were over there being great, but I wasn’t really interested, necessarily. And so, to have the opportunity to get to know an entire species, which is so different to anything else, has been such an honor. I’m much more knowledgeable, much more aware, much more curious and interested. That feels like a real gift, really.”

Following her many acting roles over the years, is Foy noticing that her interests in stories and characters evolving at all at this stage of her career?

Foy said, “I think my radar for what is something that I want to be part of is pretty bang-on. I’m not very good at faking things, so I can’t really do things unless I’m totally invested and totally in it. I think that I’ve possibly done that before and I feel like the most rewarding things are definitely things that your whole heart, your whole experience, is why you’re doing it. It’s not just necessarily for the outcome – it’s for the experience of making it. I think that can be the only guide now. I’m in a really privileged position to be able to just choose a little bit where things go and what I decide to do. I have to just follow my instinct, I suppose.”

Being not only the star of H is for Hawk, but also credited as an executive producer on this film, I wondered what it means to Foy to have this type of agency and another added leadership role here.

“I feel like my role in this film certainly wasn’t a leadership role,” Foy said. “I feel like the executive producer title was only to honor kind of the input that I had in the forming of the project, I suppose, as much as everybody else. That’s a really lovely thing, but I’m not a producer. That is not something that I can say that I’m wanting, you know? That’s just not part of my gifted life. Acting remains my focus and I think I enjoy being able to leave it at the door and being able to say – That’s someone else’s problem. So, I quite enjoy the freedom of acting.”

Being someone who we, the public, have had the joy of watching grow up in front of our eyes on the screen over the years, I asked Foy next – Who is Claire Foy in 2026? What brings the greatest passion and purpose to your days lately?

“Whoa! It’s weird, that, isn’t it? It’s almost 20 years that I’ve been doing this for a living. That’s terrifying and very confronting because you see yourself aging on-screen. I think I remain as dedicated to the essence of the thing that I want to do. I don’t even really know what that is, but I know what it isn’t. I think I always have been and remain really passionate about making sure that I have experiences in my private life, you know what I mean? I keep exploring and keep trying new things and doing new things, and that may affect my work or it may not, but that’s definitely the focus.”

Being a part of the entertainment industry for nearly two decades and seeing the changes around the business over the years, what is Foy liking about the trends and the ways of the industry today, and are there aspects of yesteryear that she wishes were still in place?

Foy said, “The presence of an encouragement of female writers, directors, producers is something that was not necessarily happening when I was first attempting to act. I think that is still something that really needs to be encouraged and moved forward, but that’s really encouraging. I think that I find that the yesteryear world was a very collective experience, film and TV, when I was starting out. When I was younger, there were things that people watched that had an impact and people would discuss them. That happens now, but it’s just like such a bigger scale and there is so much made, and there’s so many things impacting left, right and center. So, I suppose I miss the simplicity a little bit, but that’s my age for sure.”

Following her experiences in embodying Helen Macdonald on-screen in H is for Hawk and understanding her layered journey in how to navigate life after loss, I concluded my conversation with Foy by asking her my signature and original interview question, curious what she would say to Helen during her most difficult moments of grief, if only she could have.

“I don’t think anything anyone can say can be a relief or comfort when you’re in the depths of this sort of psychological trauma that Helen is experiencing, and also such seismic grief. I think the only thing I would like to say is that you’re not going to do anything wrong. There’s nothing wrong about what you’re doing, and that the universe is holding you. It’s alright – just you carry on. At some point in the future, things will seem a bit brighter, but you’re doing the right thing. Just believe that you’re doing the right thing.”