A Talent for Murder is in theaters now, and it turns out some of the creatives involved in it are more than happy to leave audiences guessing. The Direct's David Thompson spoke exclusively with star Alden Ehrenreich and director Anton Corbijn about the twisty new literature-based thriller, which sees Ehrenreich go head-to-head with Helen Mirren in what he called a "battle of wills."
After chatting with both key parts of A Talent for Murder, one thing was made clear: there's no one right answer to what really happens in the movie.
Ehrenreich said "different people are going to have different understandings of who's who," while Corbijn said viewers "can create their own ending of the film." Even the filmmakers didn't have it all figured out at first either, with Corbijn adding that they were "quite confused when filming it as well."
A Talent for Murder follows Edward Ridgeway (Ehrenreich), a man who travels from New York to Switzerland to convince writer Patricia Highsmith (Mirren) to write one last Tom Ripley novel. Ripley, for the uninitiated, is the murderous con man at the center of The Talented Mr. Ripley. This journey is full of sharp turns and two decidedly different performances by Ehrenreich, going inside the story, alongside co-star Olivia Cooke.
The film premiered at the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) before Bleecker Street brought it to theaters on October 23.
Back at TIFF, The Direct spoke with members of the A Talent for Murder team on the red carpet, including Mirren, Ehrenreich, Cooke, Corbijn, and Murray-Smith.
Ehrenreich and Corbijn each spoke again with The Direct about Ehrenreich's two-part performance, his time with Mirren, and the mysterious ending.
Alden Ehrenreich on Playing Two Very, Very Different People
"It Was Almost Like Shooting Two Different Movies..."
- The Direct: "You put on a pretty exciting two-part performance in this movie. What surprised you most about the experience once you actually got on set?"
Alden Ehrenreich: You know, it was just really exciting and interesting to play two characters. So, getting to kind of think through the way each of these very, very different people see the world.
And it was almost like shooting two different movies, because there's kind of the movie with Olivia where we're going all throughout all these different locations in Rome and on the train and all these things, and then the movie with Helen where it's two people in one house just talking.
- The Direct: "Your scenes with Helen Mirren feel so small and actor-driven, with not much going on besides conversation in these little rooms. Was there anything you took away from them?"
Ehrenreich: Yeah, I mean, I think that's one of the fun things about the script is that even though it's, like, very theatrical in the sense that it's mainly driven by dialogue, there's such a kind of tension at the middle of it, and the thriller element of it, I think, makes that so exciting.
And I think, like, yeah, I mean, that was one of the things that really drew me to the project, was just the opportunity to be in this kind of battle of wills with Helen Mirren, and get to work with an actor that wonderful.
Stuck in Cabin: Learning From Helen Mirren
"It’s Just A Really Kind Of Delicious, Twisty Thriller..."
- The Direct: "What are you hoping audiences take away from this film? Are they supposed to understand one point of view, or are there many ways people could interpret it?"
Ehrenreich: I think different people are going to have different understandings of who's who, when, and what exactly happened. And I think that's really fun.
And also, you know, the people making it, we had a different point of view on some of these things, of when it was maybe more of a dream or when something was happening that was real.
But I also just hope that people see how fun it is. I mean, it's just a really kind of delicious, twisty thriller, as well as sort of a literary thriller.
- The Direct: "Is there anything about A Talent for Murder that you think you're going to take with you into your next project?"
Ehrenreich: You know, I think one thing that I observed in Helen when we were working together is just she puts a lot of emphasis and thought on things like costume and makeup and props, and I don't think as deeply about those elements as she does.
And so I watched her use those as tools to create a really dazzling effect, and it was interesting to see that, and inspiring.
Anton Corbijn on Bringing a Stage Play to the Big Screen
"A Ripley Story That Isn't Really A Ripley Story..."
- The Direct: "You're an artist who has worn so many different hats over your career, not only as a film director. What about this script, which was originally a play, drew you in to direct this movie?"
Anton Corbijn: Yeah, I mean, they made it already into a stage play by the time I was reading it, but yeah, I loved it. It's what they call a page-turner, and it's so nice to have a fictional story about Ripley, you know, because all the Ripley stories have been filmed already.
So this is a bonus to work on a Ripley story that isn't really a Ripley story, but it is. And yeah, I really like the story itself, and my challenge was really to take it away from being a stage play and, visually, make it more, you know, outdoors and all that stuff outside of the home.
- The Direct: "You do a lot as a director with manipulating Alden's persona from scene to scene. What do you hope audiences enjoy most about his performance when they walk out of theaters?"
Corbijn: Well, you know, I think the way he tricks people into believing that he's a good guy, I think. Yeah, he's so cunning, I think, that character. And Alden is so good in having these two faces.
The Mysterious, Murderous Ending
"People Can Create Their Own Ending Of The Film..."
- The Direct: "As the director, did you have a certain point of view on how everything lines up in the end, or are you hoping audiences come out of it thinking maybe it was this, maybe it was that?"
Corbijn: Yeah, it's lovely, and people can create their own ending of the film, if you like, or continuation of the film. And actually, we were quite confused when filming it as well, which way to go.
- The Direct: "With two very different circumstances for the two main characters, was there ever a challenge when filming to make sure everything lined up well?"
Corbijn: Absolutely, the ending. Yeah, it's, which character did the nasty work at the end. I won't say too much because I don't want to give everything away...
