0:04
Oh, yeah.
Search this video
0:15
Hey, what's going on everybody?
0:15
From First We Feast, I'm Sean Evans and you're watching Hot Ones.
0:18
It's the show with hot questions and even hotter wings.
0:21
And today we're joined by Tessa Thompson.
0:22
She's an actress whose resume runs the gamut from critically acclaimed indies to box office shattering blockbusters, including Westworld, Creed, Thor and many others.
0:29
And on the topic, you can catch her in her role as Valkyrie in the latest Marvel release, Thor: Love and Thunder, coming to theaters July 8th.
0:36
Tessa Thompson, welcome to the show.
0:39
Hey, thanks so much for having me. This is so cool.
0:41
What's going through your head as we prepare to dig in here?
0:44
I'm just wondering if I made the right choices this morning.
0:46
Like I didn't eat, that seemed like a good thing to do, but then also should I have lined my stomach?
0:51
You know, I'm just I'm thinking around if I if I'm prepared.
0:55
Well, there's no looking back now.
0:55
Are you ready to get started? Yeah. Really nice.
1:19
I might knock a little more. Have at it. I got to smell. What's happening here? Mm. Okay. Peppery notes. Yeah. It's a garlic hit. Mhm.
1:29
A lot to play with in there. A lot to play with. on the tongue. There we go. I didn't eat, so.
1:36
There Now we're lining the stomach, you know?
1:45
So, the thing that makes the Thor franchise my favorite in the MCU is its particularly irreverent and comedic tone, especially when you compare it to other superhero movies.
1:52
What would you say makes Taika Waititi's approach as a director unique in the genre.
1:56
I've heard you gush about his childlike sensibilities.
2:00
I think that's a big part of it.
2:00
Also, when we made Ragnarok, the whole idea was to basically destroy every Thor movie that had come before.
2:08
Not in terms of success, just to like bash all of the tropes, the tone, and make something that's entirely different.
2:15
This next installment has been interesting cuz it's trying to sort of recapture the magic, but I think it's been able to hold a lot of different tonal pockets all at once.
2:24
Can a film be funny and silly and irreverent, but also can it be heartfelt? Can it be earnest?
2:32
And can those things careen into each other in a way that feels organic?
2:34
But I sort of think that that's the way that life is. So, it makes sense.
2:37
Plus, we play a lot of music. I think that helps. Mhm. Mellow.
2:49
It's how we start you off.
2:51
Lull you into a false sense of security. Terrifying.
2:57
But it's it's it's jumping on the tongue.
2:59
Yeah, little dancing right here.
3:00
tap like tap dancing like without tap shoes on. You know what I mean?
3:03
Like it's just a little light little flutter of A light rain on a tin roof. Exactly. There we go. One you can hardly hear.
3:09
You're like, is that Oh, yeah, that's it.
3:15
So, often hear actors liken the Marvel films to Greek mythology or Shakespeare.
3:20
Is there anything that you learned while performing at the Los Angeles Women's Shakespeare Company that helped inform your approach to Valkyrie?
3:27
Oh, that's so interesting.
3:27
Yeah, something we talked about cuz you know, we're always gender swapping.
3:31
So many of the women in that company would play men, and there was this idea that men just are more kind of upright.
3:38
That we that men aren't inclined to like break their lines, and for some reason that we associate that with power.
3:46
So, if I'm here talking to you in a scene and I'm doing a lot of this or this, it's a way of signaling.
3:51
It shouldn't be a but a way of signaling that I don't have as much power.
3:55
And so, I think in taking on Valkyrie, this character that wants to feel really powerful, not masculine necessarily, but I thought a lot about that in terms of body position.
4:05
And then also just getting buff helped.
4:09
And then to dust off a question from the David Harbour episode, what do you think is the best on-ramp to Shakespeare for those of us who've sworn off the work since reading Macbeth in 10th grade?
4:19
I mean, I got really into Shakespeare, but it was not it took me a while.
4:20
So, I was like, what is this? Doesn't make sense.
4:25
I think the truth is the first time I saw it performed really well, it was crystal clear.
4:30
Um but Cliff's Notes is Shakespeare for Dummies. Yeah.
4:36
Get me back on the train. Oaxaca. Okay, I'm into this. I like mezcal. Kind of a step up. Oh, really? Mhm. Not to lead the witness. Mhm. Mhm.
4:55
You know how the last one's take a minute? This one is like Mhm.
4:59
Lets you know right away. It's pepper forward. Mhm. Mhm.
5:04
This might be my favorite so far. There we go. It's dancing.
5:06
If the last one was dancing in the back of the tongue, this one is on the front.
5:11
And maybe even wearing shoes this time.
5:13
It might be wearing shoes. Not stilettos.
5:14
It's still like comfy, but it's reminding you it exists. There we go.
5:20
Can I ask you a question? Whatever you want.
5:22
The first sip of water, is that like a deduction in terms of No, no.
5:25
Whatever we want it to be like the most comfortable, least comfortable interview. You know what I mean?
5:29
So, if you need a water, need a sip of milk, and you've got like some lifelines and some unique lifelines. bread.
5:36
I have I have I got rice. I'm taking care. There we go. Totally.
5:39
You're in good hands over here.
5:42
So, last year you launched a production company, Viva Mod.
5:44
Something that I've always been curious about.
5:45
Are there certain kinds of stories that are harder to adapt than others?
5:50
Yeah, like all the ones I want to adapt.
5:55
No, but also I really love books.
5:55
I love reading books, and so there's a lot of novels that we're trying to adapt, and it's ambitious, you know, cuz they're sprawling, and also there are things that you can do on the page in terms of articulating ideas and thoughts of the character, and how do you communicate that in film language?
6:10
It takes some real consideration. I'm doing great. Okay. Mhm. Mhm.
6:29
Dancing on it a little bit. Mhm. I love this one.
6:34
It's really smooth throughout.
6:37
It's if I dare say so myself, a little it's spice it's kinky. Oh, I like that. It's feisty. There we go. I mean? Yeah, yeah. Yeah. to be our tagline, yeah.
6:49
We're going to switch up the tagline, I think.
6:51
It's you know, no, no, no.
6:51
Maybe the better word is Is it zesty? It's got some zest. Okay, it's zest.
6:55
I'd say it's got some zest, but I like kinky.
6:57
We're going to go with kinky. Okay. It's binding and stance.
7:01
So, it's rare for us to interview a Hollywood star who's actually from LA, but we're happy to put you in the pantheon alongside Elizabeth Olsen and Kristen Stewart.
7:09
Elizabeth Olsen, by the way, is my favorite Hot Ones interview of all time. You know what?
7:12
I saw you in New York City.
7:15
In New York City, the amount I I did that for a long time, even when I was not in New York City.
7:23
I was in a New York City state of mind.
7:25
Um well, I'm in New York City.
7:31
That interview meant a lot to me.
7:31
But forwards to backwards.
7:33
That's why I'm wearing a blazer, and she was wearing a blazer, so.
7:37
That's a good Easter egg. I love that. I love that.
7:41
Do you think that there's something about being from the heart of the entertainment industry that affects the way that you view it or is it reductive to think that actors from LA have a certain sensibility?
7:51
No, I don't think it's reductive.
7:51
I think that's probably true.
7:52
It also depends on how you come in to the industry even and especially living in Los Angeles.
7:58
For me, Hollywood was not so much an institution cuz I didn't know anybody in it.
8:07
Like where all the stars are, Marilyn Monroe's hands and feet like that was basically my front yard.
8:11
In the same way that I saw this romance around people who would come to LA on this pilgrimage for a dream.
8:18
I was like, well, I want to go on a pilgrimage for a dream.
8:20
I just don't know I just don't know where.
8:21
And then once I realized that that acting is what I wanted to do and storytelling is what I wanted to do, I was like, well, here I am, I guess. Ooh, Reaper. Okay. Mhm, you know Reaper. Mhm. Climbing. It's stagey. Yeah, right.
8:50
It comes in waves a little bit. It's like, mhm.
8:55
Right, and then you think you're good and then And then it's like, it hasn't hit me with a full a LITTLE BIT THERE. AS IF IT HEARD ME.
9:11
I THINK THEY DO SOMETIMES, you know. You think they do? But this is nice.
9:13
It's settling on my tongue nicely in the back part of it.
9:18
Fully soaked, fully marinated, and while you sit in that marinade, Tessa Thompson, we have a recurring segment on our show called Explain That Gram where we do a deep dive on our guest's Instagram, pull interesting pictures that need more context. No.
9:29
And for the first time in years, after this long hiatus, the laptop is back.
9:34
Camera Guy Bill, can you still do it? There we go.
9:38
He's still got So, we'll show you the picture.
9:40
You just tell us the bigger story.
9:43
As a self-described people watcher who also studied cultural anthropology, what's your take on Comic-Con? Ooh, Comic-Con's cool.
9:49
And I got to do it really anthropologically because I stole a Stormtrooper uniform and I walked the floor.
9:56
The whole time people were like, "You can't walk the floor. A, you don't have time.
9:59
And also, it would be just too chaotic."
10:01
And so, I just borrowed one of these things and took to the floor. And it was so fun.
10:05
Like, I I wish I could do that just for a day.
10:10
And And also, I'd love to be able to like plan a a real costume that a real look, but really spend Comic-Con that way.
10:20
And also, to be there with someone like Chris Hemsworth.
10:22
I mean, do you see the face I'm making in there?
10:25
I'm like, "Ooh, people are really into him."
10:29
All right, that concludes Explain That Gram. Bill? Got it. Looking good, bud.
10:35
Thank you for looking out.
10:36
All right, you ready to move on here to the back half, collar and ghost here in the sixth spot. Mhm. Okay.
10:47
Little bit of a different color. Mhm.
10:55
Uh-huh, it's a lot of saliva happening in my mouth.
10:58
It's It's getting watery in there.
11:05
So, you've worked closely with director Ryan Coogler and have interesting thoughts about how to take something with the size and scale of a Hollywood blockbuster, but still give it a real point of view.
11:15
What have you learned by working with each other about navigating the intersection of art and commerce?
11:20
Oh, that's such a good question.
11:20
I think it's like an amazing to have your own autonomy to get to do whatever you want, but it's also incredible to be able to make something that you know a lot of people are going to be able to see and especially on a global scale.
11:33
And that's like that's such a rare gift that not that many filmmakers make and particularly filmmakers that come so steeped in the independent world.
11:42
You get so so much access and sometimes I think there is this thing of like more money more problems, you know, as soon as you have money there are people like really telling you how to spend it.
11:52
But I've never seen someone deal with that more gracefully than Ryan.
11:57
I also think so much you make these things and you put them out into the world and they're not yours anymore anyways, you know.
12:07
Um which is the beautiful and terrifying thing about them.
12:14
All right, you are doing so good and you're approaching this home stretch here.
12:18
This next one is Tierfin's Curse here in the seventh spot. Okay. From Hollow Ge. Mhm. Mhm. It's building. One of those. Yeah.
12:45
It has a little bit of that.
12:47
It's a slight watering of the eyes, but it's not It's not a bad It's not a bad thing.
12:53
And then this is where I'll just say be careful, you know, because Don't touch the eyes.
12:57
Don't touch the eyes, you know, your instinct that'll want you'll want But avoid at all cost.
13:02
How often do people drool? Oh, every episode. Okay, cool. and let it fly. Okay, not now.
13:07
I might wait until I get to nine.
13:11
As a musician yourself, how would you distill the experience of working alongside composer Ludwig Göransson to make original music for Creed?
13:16
Like I imagine that's a unique experience to create music in the context of a film from the perspective of your character.
13:25
Yeah, that was so wild too because we we basically locked ourselves in a studio for 2 weeks and then he we'd have friends of of him come over and write with us.
13:37
Um like Donald Glover and Sam Dew and Moses Sumney and all these incredible artists and you know, I've I've dabbled in music, but I'm not like them.
13:46
They can like do anything.
13:48
They could eat like two cutting boards of these hot wings, you know, and then like sit down and and sing.
13:55
It also felt like preparation for the role.
13:57
It was kind of like a fake it till you make it. I don't know. You know what I mean.
14:02
Uh this one's getting to me.
14:03
All right, Tessa, are you ready to move on here to the next wing? Mhm.
14:07
It brings me no joy to say this, but this is the bomb beyond insanity. Mhm. Okay. Mhm. Yeah. Ha. Yeah. Ha.
14:38
The jump between this and that is is exponential. HEY, YEAH. DOES THIS WORK?
14:52
You told me I I won't let you. No, it makes it worse. Rubs it. No, it makes it worse. Mhm.
14:57
Yeah, it's like taking a cut and rubbing it on the carpet or something.
14:59
Okay, okay, let me see what happens. Yeah. Mhm. Mhm. Mhm. Mhm. Yep. That's all you.
15:10
Is this a good thing to do? Yeah.
15:12
Just anything you can do to survive and I'll gas pedal it here to the finish line.
15:19
Do you have a lasting memory from being a bar mitzvah dancer?
15:20
That seems like such an interesting job, you know, getting people from age 13 to 95 to rally to the dance floor.
15:26
That seems like a unique challenge for even the most seasoned entertainer. Uh-huh. Mhm. Mhm. Mhm. What was your question? Bar mitzvah dancer. Mhm.
15:42
Do you have a lasting memory or how would you distill the experience? Mhm. It was a lot of spandex.
15:50
A lot of wrangling grannies. And um A lot of horas. A what? Uh not hora. You know?
16:10
They put you in the chair and hoist you up. I'm fully crying. Yeah, yeah. It's okay.
16:15
um really dancing at bar mitzvahs brings up memories. For me.
16:20
Um I think really the experience of being there at such a pivotal time in um families' lives.
16:35
Being able to support that, be a part of it, get everybody moving and dancing. It kept the lights on.
16:44
This is fully clearing my sinuses. Yeah.
16:47
A transcendent experience, something that, you know, you walk through, get to the other side and you're a changed person at the end of it. Mhm.
16:56
When does the mouth When does it When does it go away? It's a nightmare.
16:59
A show I have to apologize for. I love it, man. It makes me feel alive.
17:10
The Dingo Psycho sauce from Australia.
17:13
I know you recently spent some time in Australia. Yeah.
17:18
This is a taste of Australia.
17:20
Let me eat this dingo, baby. Ready? I'm ready.
17:30
Um This one sucks, but I think after the last one How is that?
17:36
There's something about that's just a little bit easier. Uh-huh. Yeah, it's not as bad. Right. All downhill from here.
17:48
All downhill from here, Tessa.
17:52
As a thrift store vet, do you have a vintage second-hand clothing hack that you can share with the people?
17:56
We've had past Hot Ones guests extol the virtues of shape over all else when it comes to vintage tees.
18:04
Yeah, shape is good, but you know, I have a really weird thing, which is I feel like and this is going to sound really crazy. I get a hit.
18:13
I got a feeling what I need when there's a vintage thing somewhere for me.
18:19
Oh, like a a sixth sense? Yeah.
18:22
And I'm like, I got to go to this place today. I feel that sometimes.
18:25
I don't know if it's just that I'm like in the need for retail therapy or something, but that's my advice is to try to channel the vintage gods for when you might need to get to a place to look for some things.
18:41
All right, Tessa Thompson. Mhm. Mhm? Reaching for it. She knows. I'm going to. I made it this far. I saw that coming. Cheers, Tessa. Cheers. Cheers. Mhm. Yeah. Mhm. Mhm. Mhm. Mhm. Uh-huh.
19:25
That one will make you spin in your bar chair as Queen Latifah would say. That's a spicy meatball.
19:33
But the good thing, Tessa Thompson Mhm.
19:35
like Valkyrie battling the God Butcher, we've taken on the wings of death, lived to tell the tale, and just one blind spot in our interview, and that's Tessa Thompson and goats.
19:43
You know, you've talked about similarities that you have with goats, but what I'm interested here on Wing 10 is your personal goats.
19:50
So, with your brain on fire and mouth ablaze, I'll hit you with some categories.
19:55
You just give me the Tessa Thompson greatest of all time.
20:00
Goat craft service snack. Mhm. Spicy hot Cheez-Its. There we go.
20:06
Goat movie adapted from a book. Ooh. Ooh. Talented Mr. Ripley. Goat hot sauce. Ooh.
20:19
Some Pirate hot sauce amazingness. Pirate's Lantern, maybe. Mhm.
20:23
We've actually had that on the show before. Mhm.
20:26
Pirate's Lantern, put it on the throne because Tessa Thompson said so, and now there's nothing left to do but roll out the red carpet for you.
20:33
This camera, this camera, this camera, let the people know what you have going on in your life. Mhm.
20:41
There's so many things to enjoy this week.
20:43
I'm going to go to London, and I'm and I'm going to eat curry because it's the national dish there.
20:50
It's the best place to eat curry.
20:54
Uh we our movie is going to I think we're going to it's going to come out, and people are going to see it, and um I'm hoping with all this talk of goats that I I have some time to spend with goats in some secret situations.
21:10
I I don't mean that in like a weird way.
21:13
I just mean that I want to have more access.
21:15
I feel like this might give me more access to goats than I've had before. I did it, right? You crushed it.
21:31
I have been asked ever since my family found out I was coming on the show and friends of mine, I get asked constantly when it's happening.
21:38
Everyone was so excited and also it was very much was a moment of like, "Oh, you've made it.
21:43
Like you're going on Hot Ones?" Like Oh, Marvel? Like whatever. big time.
21:48
No, really and truly like they were shocked.
21:51
Ha Hey, what's going on Hot Ones fans?
21:57
Thank you so much for watching today's video.
21:59
The season 18 sauces, they're here and you know what that means. Dom, box me. So, is the big box.
22:06
The season 18 Hot Ones box is now available at heatonist. com. That's heatonist.
22:11
com to get your hands on all of the season 18 sauces delivered straight to your door in one convenient box.
22:19
Don't forget to be careful around the eyes.