Losey's continued interest in strong female characters and feminist themes led him to Ibsen's groundbreaking 1879 drama. For his version, Losey turned to British playwright and screenwriter David Mercer (Providence) to open up the play and add scenes to dramatize material provided as expository dialogue in Ibsen's original. Friction during the shooting – co-stars Jane Fonda and Delphine Seyrig resisted Losey's direction in protest to what they saw as a betrayal and dilution of Ibsen's radical vision – manifests in a certain palpable tension in the film. In the end, however, both actresses turn in first-rate performances, especially Fonda as Ibsen's proto-feminist heroine Nora Helmer.