AVA: THE SECRET CONVERSATIONS Reviews

[1 Minute Critic]

Posted: 8/9/25 at 11:00am

Ava Gardner was one of the biggest stars of Hollywood’s Golden Age. She also had a mouth like a trucker. At least as interpreted by Elizabeth McGovern, who wrote and stars in Ava: The Secret Conversations. 

McGovern, who most audiences know most recently through her role as Cora Crawley, Countess of Grantham, in the Downton Abbey TV and film franchise, takes big swings at Gardner’s life, both as a playwright and as an actor. And she knocks it out of the park. 

Foul-mouthed and flirty in her youth, frail and ferocious in later years, the Oscar-nominated actress (both subject and star) is a force to be reckoned with. Costa Ganis provides a formidable sparring partner, not only as Evans but also as an uncanny embodiment of Gardner’s ex-husbands. Full Review here - it only takes a minute!

Aaron Costa Ganis and Elizabeth McGovern in "Ava: The Secret Conversations." Photo by Jeff Lorch.