Tessa Thompson explains ‘Creed III’s unique ability to explore its actors beyond their characters

The Creed franchise may be far from over, but Creed III looks to be an absolute capstone moment for the Rocky spinoff, rounding off a remarkable trilogy of films that star the now-director for Creed III — Michael B. Jordan — can and should take the utmost pride in.

It’s been nearly a decade since Jordan first blew us away with his portrayal of Adonis “Donnie” Creed, the protagonist of the franchise and protégé of the one and only Rocky Balboa. Since then, he’s grown from a man heavily burdened by his deceased father and subsequent legacy, into a world champion and family man who, as we’ll see in Creed III, is now all but confident in his ability to face the past in spite of any fear he may have.

But Donnie isn’t the only one who’s undergone a marked metamorphosis; his wife Bianca, played by Tessa Thompson, has gone through quite a bit in her own right. Indeed, the walls she had up during the first Creed film are nowhere to be found now as she provides Donnie with a captivating emotional foil that will no doubt be an asset as he prepares for his biggest fight yet.

And, according to Thompson, the growth that these characters have undergone isn’t terribly different from the growth that the actors themselves have experienced. During a Creed III press conference attended by We Got This Covered, the actress opened up about how she and Jordan in particular have found a remarkable parallel between themselves and their Creed III characters; a parallel that allows them to explore themselves as much as Donnie and Bianca.

“I think the thing that I am finding so fascinating is the ways in which our growth, our personal growth as people gets to be communicated inside of the characters in a way. And that is a very unique thing. I mean, we’re separate in a way, but I think some of the things that our characters are contending with, and some of the things that Mike and I are contending with personally, we get to explore in the context of these films. And I think that’s something that is really a gift.”

She would go on to note some of the more personal questions that were being fielded during the creation of Creed III.

“I think in terms of some of the things that we’re unpacking in this, which has to do with, like, what does it look like to have a successful partnership inside of your dreams? We get to ask [these questions] inside of the context of making these films. Like, what does your personhood look like when it’s not entirely tethered to what you do in the world or what you make, or your success. Or, what does it look like to unpack masculinity? What does friendship look like? What does Black brotherhood look like inside of spaces that typically are competitive?”

It was never a question that Creed III is a project close to many hearts, and maybe that’s just the power of a sports drama, but with the journey that the franchise has been on since 2015, and especially with Thompson’s account, it’s safe to say there’s something much more special at play.

Creed III will release to theaters on March 3.