Tessa Thompson and Michael B. Jordan have shown their dedication to performing!
The actress, who returns as Bianca Taylor in the recently released “Creed III,” revealed that she and her co-star had to undergo couples counseling to give their viewers the best. She admitted that the action helped them “reflect on our own relationships” before filming their scenes for the boxing threequel.
Tessa Thompson And Michael B. Jordan Attend Couple’s Therapy To Make Their ‘Creed’ Characters Believable
The crew and cast of the franchise first got a fanbase with the 2015 debut of “Creed,” serving as a spin-off of the “Rocky” film series. Fans got even more enthralled with the film that showcases amateur boxer Adonis “Donnie” Creed — played by Jordan — getting mentored and trained by Rocky Balboa — played by Sylvester Stallone, the former rival turned friend of Adonis’ father, Apollo Creed, in subsequent years.
In fact, many who have seen the third installment in the franchise have praised it for being the “best movie ever.” Thompson has now revealed that the stars of the project put more than expected into creating a surreal experience for viewers.
During an interview with Refinery29, the “Mississippi Damned” actress disclosed that she and Jordan “actually” went to couple’s therapy together as their characters in preparation for the project. She explained:
“I’ll say it was an early experience in couples therapy for us both [personally], but it was as these characters, which is very weird. But I think it reminded us of our personal lives that going to therapy, even when a relationship is good, can be a good thing if you’re trying to just sharpen communication and figure out how someone works. It’s useful in so many relationships.”
Thompson admitted that although they were in character during the therapy session, she and Jordan were “also reflecting on our own relationships” since they have worked together for almost a decade. During that time, they had seen each other at various points in their “own romantic things.”
Thanks to that familiarity, the 39-year-old and her co-star “know stuff about each other’s lives,” which “shared and talked about,” thus therapy ended up “getting more personal” than they originally intended.
The “Thor: Love and Thunder” added that the session allowed her and Jordan to “really talk” to a couples therapist and understand the challenges that young parents with “their dreams and aspirations” were facing.
“I think a lot of our growth is also parallel to the growth of the characters…in terms of the kind of conversations that we’re having together and separately around legacy,” Thompson further shared.
She concluded that her character inspired her to take her mental health seriously, constantly reminding her to “just stay in therapy, get into therapy, talk about your feelings.”
The “Black Panther” Actor Makes Directorial Debut With Stallone Missing In Action
The Blast recently shared in an opinion piece that besides reprising his lead role in the “Creed” series, Jordan also made his directorial debut with the film. Per the report, when the announcement was made a few years ago, the 36-year-old stated that he always wanted to try out directing, claiming that:
“‘Creed III’ is that moment — a time in my life where I’ve grown more sure of who I am, holding agency in my own story, maturing personally, growing professionally, and learning from the Greats like Ryan Coogler, most recently Denzel Washington, and other top tier directors I respect.”
While he excelled at the task, fans had hoped that Stallone would be part of the cast directed by Jordan. In case you missed it, the 76-year-old was written out of the film without any direct reference to his whereabouts — except a few mentions of his name — throughout its nearly two-hour duration.
Despite fans’ disappointment at the occurrence because of how instrumental “The Lords of Flatbush” actor was to the entire series, they understood the background of it. Stallone stepped away from the project after he and fellow “Rocky” producer Irwin Winkler had a public showdown.
The actor had called out the producer in a series of since-deleted Instagram posts over the rights to the “Rocky” franchise, expressing that he deserves access to them. This would be Stallone’s first time missing from the cast after 47 years of playing the titular character.
