PHOTOGRAPHY BY GUY LOWNDES/CONTOUR BY GETTY IMAGES.
The Thor actress on living her childhood
dream – alongside Chris HemsworthGIRL OF THE MOMENTTESSA
THOMPSON
Growing up in Hollywood, Tessa Thompson was so
determined to be an actress that she’d dress up as a boy
to go to the playground to see how convincing she was.
“As a kid I’d walk along Hollywood Boulevard, looking
at all those stars,” she reminisces. “Eventually I realised
that [acting] wasn’t something I could kick.”
Her next role is a far cry from the schoolyard: she’s
playing the formidable warrior goddess Valkyrie in
Thor: Ragnarok, with the title role belonging to Chris
Hemsworth. The film was shot over five months on
the Gold Coast, and Thompson says the set was like
summer camp – making Hemsworth the fun camp
counsellor. “I kept tripping over my cape for the first
two months, and Chris would turn to me and go, ‘Ditch
the cape’, or ‘Use the short cape’,” says Thompson.
Ditching the cape wasn’t the only counsel
Hemsworth gave Thompson; the veteran superhero
actor also advised her against reading reviews about
her role in the Marvel blockbuster. Thompson, who
also stars in the hit sci-fi Western series Westworld,
assured him that she doesn’t read articles on herself.
“Well, I try not to read them. But then my dad will ...
send me a screenshot,” she says. “I think if you take in
the fantastic stuff, you also have to take in the not-so
fantastic stuff, so it’s better to not take any of it in.”
It’s all about the ebb and flow for Thompson, who
has “yes” tattooed on her right wrist to remind her to
chase opportunities, and a tiny “no” on the other arm
for balance. But no matter what pinch-me roles
come her way, she still makes an effort to check in
with the innocent wonder she felt for drama as a kid.
“I’m constantly trying to ask that little girl how to
proceed and how to keep my childlike excitement for
acting,” she says. “But if I could speak to her, I think
she would just ask me for a Thor action figure.”W A T C H
IT
Thor: Ragnarok
hits cinemas on
October 26.EDITED BY ALLEY PASCOE