Tessa Thompson has been receiving praise for her performance in one of Netflix’s best films in 2021, Passing. Aside from that, though, she’s been busy with other projects that are awaiting release or are in the midst of production. One of those projects is Michael B. Jordan’s directorial debut, Creed III, in which she returns as Bianca Taylor. Getting back into the world of the Rocky franchise required some preparation on Thompson’s part, though, and the star recently spilled about what she’s done to prepare for the upcoming sequel.
The reunion between Tessa Thompson and Michael Jordan has been a long time coming, as fans have been eager to see the on-screen couple again. Though the wait has been long, the pandemic allowed for the co-stars to have a longer prep time, which worked out for Michael B. Jordan as a first-time director. It proved to be beneficial for Tessa Thompson, too, as she had to reconnect with Creed III’s Rocky legacy. The Thor: Love and Thunder star opened up to The Wrap about what her preparation for the sequel was like, and it seems to have involved some rewatches:
I hadn’t seen the first and second ‘Creed’ [films] since they came out, so I went back and watched both those films because Mike and I have been working a lot on the scenes. It was such a trip to watch them because I didn’t think of them, even when we were making them, necessarily as contributing to the Rocky franchise. I mean, when we made the first one, it was Ryan Coogler’s second film? Third film? He’s an independent filmmaker. When I made ‘Thor: Ragnarok,’ Taika came from the indie world. So even inside of these franchise spaces, I’ve typically worked with people that make it feel pretty small.
Rewatching the first two Creed films was certainly a terrific way to reacquaint herself with the legacy. It also appears that the actress loves to work with directors on an intimate level. Luckily, working with indie-turned-mainstream directors like Ryan Coogler and Taika Waititi laid out the blueprint for the relationship between her and Michael B. Jordan on this upcoming installment. Maintaining an indie vibe on set might be beneficial for the actor-director relationship, as it could help to keep things grounded, especially when dealing with the more over-the-top elements of the movies.
Doing multiple franchises could stagnate for an actor, but Tessa Thompson has had no problem. As a matter of fact. the experiences have even helped her with her own goals. Seeing her Creed II co-star make his feature debut served as an inspiration for her, as she wants the chance to direct at some point. The co-stars have been supportive of each other and have developed a sibling-like relationship, which can be pretty funny. The Passing star once jokingly told Michael B. Jordan to tone down the sexiness when he’s directing. Of course, it’s all love, as Jordan heaped tons of praise on her ahead of their work on the new movie. Thanks to their prep and firm working relationship, the third installment in the series should be something special.
But Creed III is just one of multiple projects Tessa Thompson has coming down the pipeline. If you want to see what she has in store for this year, check out the various 2022 movie releases on our schedule.