London Calling

Tessa Thompson Has Gone From Hollywood’s Best-kept Secret To Widely Sought-after It Girl. Now Set To Reprise Her Role As Bianca In This Month’s creed Ii, She’s On Everyone’s Radar.

- Cori Murray

On a misty afternoon in Shoreditch, an artsy district located on the east side of London, Tessa Thompson is making every moment count. It’s a rare day off for the boundary–pushing actress—since appearing in Thor: Ragnarok, she’s not only remixed the Valkyrie’s blond-hair mythology but also expanded the Marvel universe for Black and Brown girls everywhere. “I like to choose parts that make me feel as if I’m breaking new ground,” says Thompson, who this month returns as Bianca, the rock steady lover of Adonis (played by Michael B. Jordan) in Creed II. “I always want there to be one thing that I’m worried I cannot do. Obviously, I like the idea of expanding perceptions of what a woman can be and what a woman of color can be. I like to introduce new spaces.”