Tessa Thompson had to fight for her role in a Boots Riley film after joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
The actress, who stars in new romantic drama Hedda, spoke about nearly being dropped as Detroit in Sorry to Bother You, Riley's breakout film, on the Wednesday (October 29) episode of podcast Collider Ladies Night. One year before the movie's release, Thompson starred in Thor: Ragnarok, which made Riley begin to consider the actress hyper-visble, as his film was independent.
"You would think that it'd be easier to make interesting indie movies, but Boots Riley offered me a role in his film Sorry to Bother You," Thompson told host Perri Nemiroff. "And then by the time he went to make it, I had made a Marvel movie and he told me that I couldn't be in Sorry to Bother You anymore because I was too visible."
Thompson added that she had to "fight" Riley on his decision.
"I said, 'No, sir. I have the email of you offering me this movie. Please.' And I auditioned for him. I said, 'Let me prove to you, I promise you I can still do this.' And so I got on a Zoom with him and LaKeith Stanfield and we had a chemistry test and he said, 'Fine, you can be in the movie.'"
"But because I had made a Marvel movie, he just didn't he didn't think that I could enter that indie space," she concluded.
Elsewhere, the actress shared her appreciation for being able to "exist" in different genres of film. "It's such a dream. It really is," she said.
In the 2018 movie, Thompson acted opposite Stanfield, who played protagonist Cassius "Cash" Green, who code-switches (in a very dramatic way) to find success at his telemarketing job. Green ultimately becomes torn by the decision to join his activist friend circle in a strike, or continue his streak in corporate life.
Riley has since continued with other experimental visual projects, like the 2023 show I'm a Virgo, and will next release the sci-fi comedy I Love Boosters in 2026.