English singer-songwriter Rihanna played an unexpected role behind the scenes of Hamnet, the upcoming film starring Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal. According to Buckley, after emotionally draining shoots — particularly during grief-laden sequences — the film’s director, Chloé Zhao, would break up the tension with weekly dance-breaks set to Rihanna’s song We Found Love.

Buckley described the atmosphere on those occasions as almost euphoria — a “rave-like” moment on set. She recalled wrap days when some of the 300 extras and crew gathered together inside the Globe-set, letting music pull them out of the film’s heavy emotional undertow.

The film itself, adapted from the novel by Maggie O’Farrell, explores the tragic death of the Shakespeares’ son and its ripple effects. Buckley and Mescal have spoken at length about how immersed the experience was — the grief, the love, and the weight of portraying such raw human loss.

The use of music and impromptu dance as respite underscores how the cast and crew sought to stay grounded — bridging the gap between the darkness of the story and the need for emotional balance behind the cameras.