tessa-thompson

Spike Lee, Tessa Thompson, and More Celebs Donate Items to Cinema for Gaza Auction Fundraising Over $100,000 Since March

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Spike Lee Says 'I Got Questions' About 9/11 While Promoting Upcoming Documentary

Donated items from Spike Lee, Tessa Thompson, Olivia Colman, and more have been added to the Cinema for Gaza auction, raising over $113,000.

Variety reports that the items, iconic to say the least, include a framed “Malcolm X” poster signed by Lee, an “Aftersun” poster signed by Mescal with a personalized video message from Colman are included in the auction lots that launched this past Monday, as well as additional items including a “beer on Zoom” with Tessa Thompson. Memorabilia from “The Marvels,” a “Worst Person in the World” poster signed by Joachim Trier, were also auctioned.

Foreseeably, this won’t be a forever thing, as the auction closes on April 12. All donations will go to Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP). Cinema for Gaza was set up by U.K.-based filmmakers and film journalists Hanna Flint, Julia Jackman, Leila Latif, Sophie Monks Kaufman, and Helen Simmons. It has been consistently growing since its inception on March 28. More celebrity donations are coming through daily, adding to the original lots from A-list names such as Tilda Swinton, Josh O’Connor, Ken Loach, and more. 

MAP is currently responding to the humanitarian disaster in Gaza, where the local health authority claims that more than 32,000 Palestinians have been killed after Israel retaliated for Hamas’ Oct. 7 terror attack, which killed more than 1,100 Israelis.

Hollywood for a good cause is never a bad thing.

The post Spike Lee, Tessa Thompson, and More Celebs Donate Items to Cinema for Gaza Auction Fundraising Over $100,000 Since March first appeared on The Source.

The post Spike Lee, Tessa Thompson, and More Celebs Donate Items to Cinema for Gaza Auction Fundraising Over $100,000 Since March appeared first on The Source.

Tessa Thompson Refused To Say “Jawn” In “Creed III”

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The Creedverse moves from Philadelphia to Los Angeles for the latest installment of its series. Creed III was a major hit its opening weekend just a few days ago, and we’re hearing more from its stars about the ins and out of production. Tessa Thompson portrays Bianca, Adonis’s (Michael B. Jordan) significant other, and throughout the film, the growth of their relationship and need to therapy is a core theme. There is one thing, a minor exclusion, that Thompson told The Hollywood Reporter she insisted on.

“I said to them, ‘I’m not saying jawn in this movie because we’ve heard it, we’ve done it. I want to break new territory,’” the actress said. “Not saying ‘jawn’ was also a way of saying inside of the filmmaking that you are going to witness someone that is constantly evolving.” This was important for both Thompson and Jordan, maintaining believability with the maturation of their characters.

Tessa Thompson Helped Michael B. Jordan Calm Down

wHOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 27: Tessa Thompson attends the Los Angeles Premiere of “CREED III” at TCL Chinese Theatre on February 27, 2023 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/WireImage)

As the director, Jordan was often running from in front of the camera to looking at the monitor to make sure the scene was set. It was a feat that many actors have tackled, but not all were as successful as Jordan. With nearly a decade of working together, Thompson was impressed with her longtime friend and costar. “Because we are so close in our way and have worked together for so long, I could tell when he was stressed in a moment,” Thompson added.

“I would look at him and he would just give me a face. I would just look at him and think, ‘Oh, he’s having a moment.’ And he then would just say to me, ‘Yeah.’ And I would be like, ‘All right, take a breath.’ And he’d take a breath. So that would be a moment where he would let the air out, but never in a frustrated way. It was just in a, ‘OK, you see me, you know me. This is a moment.’ And I found that so deeply impressive. I also felt really lucky to get to be that kind of support. He was just so tremendous with the crew and everyone.”

Working Through Therapy

ATLANTA, GEORGIA – FEBRUARY 23: Michael B. Jordan and Tessa Thompson attend the “Creed III” HBCU Atlanta Fan Screening at Regal Atlantic Station on February 23, 2023 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Derek White/Getty Images)

In another interview, the actress revealed that she and Jordan attended couple’s therapy in real life. However, they did it while in character, although Thompson further said it helped them process their real relationship issues from their pasts.

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Michael B. Jordan & Tessa Thompson Went To Couple’s Therapy While Filming “Creed III”

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History has been made after Creed III‘s monumental opening weekend, and much of it is thanks to Michael B. Jordan and Tessa Thompson. It’s reported that Creed III raked in $100 million in its first few days, and we’re sure the cast is somewhere celebrating. In the film, Thompson’s character, Bianca, presses Jordan’s character about going to therapy to work out his issues. The actress told Refinery29 that the two stars stretched their acting chops and attended real-life therapy—in character.

“It’s like a full PSA for therapy [laughs],” said Thompson. She detailed Bianca’s evolution and stepping into a softer side when she entered motherhood. “And finally, Mike and I actually went to therapy together. We did couples therapy.” The interviewer was surprised at the revelation and asked if they answered questions as their characters. “Yes, in character, but it ended up being like — the line sometimes between character and us get blurred because we bring so much of what we’re exploring personally to the characters in general.”

Digging Into A Character’s Issues

LONDON, ENGLAND – FEBRUARY 15: Michael B. Jordan and Tessa Thompson attend the “Creed III” European Premiere at Cineworld Leicester Square on February 15, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Karwai Tang/WireImage)

For a moment, Thompson thought she might have been telling too many details. Still, she continued. “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 own 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 explained that although they attacked the therapy session as Bianca and Adonis, she and Jordan “were also reflecting on our own relationships.” The costars have been creating hit films in the Creedverse for almost a decade, and they’ve grown as individuals as well as performers. “We’ve seen each other through various stages in our own romantic things,” she said. “So, we know stuff about each other’s lives. We shared and talked about it. So, therapy ended up starting at work and getting more personal.”

Tessa Thompson Left With a Deeper Understanding

She added, “Also, it was a chance for us to really talk to a couples therapist and understand what are some of the things young parents who are trying to balance their own dreams and aspirations? What are the themes that you see?” Also, “What are the things they might be up against? What might be their impediments to happiness or success as a couple? That was really fascinating also to hear from her and bring that into the stew.”

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Rita Ora Labels Throuple Rumors With Taika Waititi & Tessa Thompson “Ridiculous”

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Rita Ora has denied the rumors about being in a throuple with her husband Taika Waititi and actress Tessa Thompson. Speaking with GQ Hype for a recent interview, Ora addressed the long-standing rumors about the three being in a relationship together.

“I just chose to not acknowledge that because it’s ridiculous,” she told the outlet.

The rumors began in May 2021 when paparazzi spotted all three getting close to one another in Australia.

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – AUGUST 02: (L-R) Rita Ora and Taika Waititi attend the Warner Bros. premiere of “The Suicide Squad” at Regency Village Theatre on August 02, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images)

Ora continued: “I think when some things are so absurd, and it’s hard to fathom any sense of it, you just have to ignore it. I’ve taken that approach for a lot of things, because you don’t want to put energy towards something that’s nonexistent. It’s like trying to explain something that didn’t happen means you’re feeding into nothing.”

From there, she chalked the incident the photos stem from as being a night out with friends.

“Have you ever been in a situation where you’ve had a lot of drinks and everyone’s your best friend? And then the next day you’re like, ‘I was talking to this person in the smoking area for four hours and I’ve got no idea who they are?’” she added. “Literally – that [photo] was just a bunch of friends having a good time. They [Taika and Tessa] had a crazy schedule and everyone was letting loose. I love that. Each to their own.”

Ora did cite one positive from the rumors: The normalization of LGBTQ+ relationships.

“The good news though, is that when I was on Twitter talking to my fans, all of my incredible LGBTQIA+ fanbases were like, actually – whether this is true or not – I’m so inspired that this is being normalized publicly,” Ora noted. “That made me really happy. You don’t know who it’s touching.”

In the two years since the photos were taken, Rita Ora and Taika Waititi have gotten married.

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Flying Lotus’s Film ‘Ash’ Will Star Tessa Thompson And Joseph Gordon-Levitt

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Flying Lotus
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Earlier this year, Grammy Award-winning producer Flying Lotus, whose real name is Steven Ellison, signed a multi-picture deal via his company Brainfeeder Films with French company Logical Pictures and XYZ Films to direct and produce a slew of upcoming movies. One of them is Ash, about which he said, “I’ve a strong desire to innovate in the sci-fi space and I really want to show the world something they’ve never seen before.”

More information about Ash has finally arrived today. The cast will include Tessa Thompson and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, with Thompson taking on the role of a woman who wakes up on a distant planet and finds the crew of her space station murdered. She meets a man, played by Gordon-Levitt, and is unsure whether or not she should trust him and let him save her. While they investigate the murders, he wonders if she is innocent. Ellison is set to start shooting the film next year in New Zealand.

About the multi-picture deal, Logical Pictures Group President Frédéric Fiore expressed his enthusiasm and appreciation for Ellison and his future in the film industry, saying in March, “FlyLo is a highly talented and respected musician with such a unique creative universe.”