TESSA THOMPSON

Hail to the King…

How is Valkyrie finding the ruling of New Asgard?

She likes it. She feels slightly less enchanted with the bureaucratic elements of New Asgard. It’s really been put on the map by the events that have happened in past movies, so it’s also become this sort of tourist destination. I think she feels entirely proud. The thing about Asgard that’s always been true is, it’s not a place, it’s its people.

What kind of a king does she make?

I think she’s very egalitarian. She’s a kind king. I know there’s been some confusion on the internet in terms of the gendering with her being king. The truth is, that’s the job that Thor was going to do, and then he just gave her the job, and we just didn’t bother to change the title, because the title is ‘king’, and she’s like, ‘Well, I can be king.’ The suits that she wears – we thought it was sort of a fun nod to Frida Kahlo.

You said at Comic-Con that King Valkyrie needed to find her queen as the first order of business. Has she had any luck there?

[laughs] You’ll have to see the film. No comment!

Do you still see yourself wanting to explore this character further?

Yes, I do. I see so much that is possible for her. It’s also really just such a joy. You can see different elements of these characters come forward, depending on who they’re in a relationship with, right? It’s really fun to also imagine the different versions of Valkyrie that you could get and discover by who you put her opposite. And that, for me, is one of the most exciting things about working in the MCU.

What was it like being directed by Michael B. Jordan on Creed III?

It was such a joy being directed by Mike. Mike and I were folks that just instantly really loved each other as friends, and we’ve been working together for such a long time, and have this real sort of history. And it’s been such a joy to get to play these characters over years as they mature. There’s so much of it that feels like life imitating art with these characters. It was so easy to be directed by him. He FaceTimed me the other day to show me a little bit. It looks incredible. I’m really, really proud of him.