Interview: Kate Mara on the complicated nature of consent in ‘A Teacher’ and if she’ll act with husband Jamie Bell again [VIDEO]
You might know Kate Mara best as Sue Storm in 2015’s Fantastic Four. Or maybe as Heath Ledger’s daughter in 2005’s Brokeback Mountain. Or from her Emmy-nominated work as Zoe Barnes in House of Cards. Whatever it might be it’s all been leading up to her stirring role in FX’s A Teacher, which explores the complexities and consequences of a predatory relationship between Claire Wilson (Mara), a young teacher at a suburban Texas high school and her student, Eric Walker, played by Love, Simon‘s Nick Robinson [interview].
The limited series deftly navigates how boundaries are crossed, and a subtle and dangerous game of grooming begins. The permanent damage left in the wake of Claire’s choices becomes impossible for them, and their friends and family, to ignore.
I talked with Mara about the enormous responsibility of taking on a character like this, the complicated nature of consent, her animal rights activism and whether or not she’d co-star with husband and Fantastic Four co-star Jamie Bell again (where I reveal to her my secret tie with Bell).
A Teacher is currently available to stream in full on Hulu. Kate Mara is Emmy eligible for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series, Anthology Series or Movie and, as an executive producer, Outstanding Limited Series.
Photo: Chris Large/FX
He is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic, accredited by the Cannes Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival and more, is a member of the International Cinephile Society (ICS), The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics (GALECA), Critics Choice Association (CCA), San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle (SFBAFCC) and the International Press Academy. Among his many achieved goals with AwardsWatch, he has given a platform to underrepresented writers and critics and supplied them with access to film festivals and the industry and calls the Bay Area his home where he lives with his husband and son.
- 2027 Oscar Predictions: BEST ACTRESS (May) - May 7, 2026
- Colman Domingo to Receive Variety Creative Conscience Award at 50th San Francisco International LGBTQ+ Film Festival (Frameline50) - May 6, 2026
- Winners Announced for Golden Gate, Audience Awards of the 69th San Francisco International Film Festival (SFFILM) - May 6, 2026
How Judith Light Psychs Us Out in ‘The Terror: Devil in Silver’ and the Secret to Her Long-lasting Career [VIDEO INTERVIEW] 
2027 Oscar Predictions: BEST ACTRESS (May) 
Colman Domingo to Receive Variety Creative Conscience Award at 50th San Francisco International LGBTQ+ Film Festival (Frameline50) 
Interview: Ildikó Enyedi on Working with Tony Leung and Léa Seydoux and Her Triptych Storytelling in ‘Silent Friend’