Tessa Thompson, welcome to The Daily Social Distancing Show.
(laughs): Thank you. Hi, Trevor Noah.
Um, let me start by congratulating you.
You have the coolest face mask collection
I have ever seen.
You've got, like, crystals on some.
You've got, like, they've got bedazzles.
They've got... How many face masks do you have?
Um, I... I haven't counted.
I have a growing collection, and I started making them.
I'll count and get back to you, but I definitely have
upwards of... at least, I would say, 25.
Easily 25. 'Cause I started making them.
I, like, have been bedazzling N95s
and yeah, perfected it.
And my friend Gloria has made a bunch with me.
You are as at home in major blockbusters,
you know, like, a Marvel franchise,
whether it's Thor or Avengers,
as you are in, like, the most intimate indie films.
You know? Sorry to Bother You
or-or... or anything that we've seen you in.
It just feels like you're at home.
I feel like your new film is-is no different.
It's a departure from what we may see you in,
but at the same time, it feels completely authentic
to who you are.
And before we get into the movie,
I'd love to know how you pick these roles.
I don't know, a couple things. I feel like I look for something
that scares me-- is there something I have to learn or do
or communicate that I'm frightened or mildly terrified
that I cannot?
I feel like that's exciting, an exciting part of creation.
And then I also think a lot about: Where have we not been?
Where have we not seen, uh, black people,
people of color in certain spaces?
Like, how do we get us there?
I think a lot about: How have we not been seen in the past?
Why don't we exist in the future enough?
Um, and those kind of things compel me
into different genre pockets.
'Cause sometimes if you change just who the protagonist is,
that changes the aperture in a way
that can be really political and interesting.
It really is. I mean, Sylvie's Love is no different.
When I... when I first heard of the movie,
I was like, okay, this is a movie that takes place in, like,
the 1950s, and it's probably gonna be about civil rights.
'Cause, I mean, that's when the civil rights movement
was taking shape.
And it was... it was a beautiful surprise,
because yes, it exists in that world,
but it's a story of two people falling in love.
It's love during one hot summer.
And... a part of it felt like... like you were attracted
to the story because of the music.
I know that you love music. I know that you love jazz music.
Tell me how important the music is in this story.
Hu... Huge, because for me
it was basically a love letter to music.
And Eugene Ashe, there's all these fantastic songs
that were written into the script,
so when I... when the script was sent to me,
that's what I did-- I immediately...
anytime a song would come on, I'd-I'd press play on the song,
and I'd read the script through
-Oh, wow. -with that... with that soundtrack.
So it was really, like, an immersive,
sonic experience for me,
And then, you know, not for nothing,
my favorite love song of all time
is Nancy Wilson's "How Glad I Am."
Nancy Wilson is, like, a big sort of touchstone in this film.
Uh, so music is... is paramount for me.
I use it in my work. I use it in my life.
Like, this whole quarantine has been a...
-just a lot of music. -I will say,
what I really enjoyed in the film,
or one of the things I enjoyed,
was Nnamdi's character.
You know, you've got this big human being
who is the softest, most romantic, just gentle...
It, like, the paradox of-of the character
was something that I didn't expect.
Why do you think he was the perfect person
to partner with in-in telling the story?
In general, I think what's exciting about these characters
and feels kind of modern about them is,
they're trying to upend their own ideas of-of gender.
For example, Sylvie is this career woman
who says to this man in, you know, the '60s,
"Why don't you let me be the breadwinner
-so you can follow your dreams?" You know? -Right.
And I think it's particularly compelling to me
at a time where I think we are still trying to upend
our ideas around gender, and... and be the fullest expression
of ourselves and not feel boxed in by what society at large
tells us we ought to be because of our gender presentation.
So I found that really inspiring,
and I think for Nnamdi-- it's funny, because he likes...
he likes to pretend that it's just, like, sublime acting,
which, of course, it is--
he spent a year learning how to play saxophone--
but I also think he is a bit of a softy,
and so this role gave him the opportunity
to access, to access that, and I hope his NFL brothers
take a cue.
What-what I... what I also appreciated in the movie
was how your character-- and you really portrayed this well--
is how she... she's pushing against a world
that is constantly telling her that she cannot be,
and I felt like that's what Tessa Thompson does
in-in real life, you know?
You've been someone who's been really vocal
about how Hollywood needs to change,
how women need to be given opportunities
to direct more films.
First of all, do you think Hollywood is doing enough,
now that people are speaking up?
And secondly, why do you think it's so important
to have women at the helm of telling these stories?
Um, something that I found really exciting
about Sylvie's Love is, inside of it,
you see this young would-be producer
who assumes that that's impossible for her,
and she is given an opportunity by another woman of color.
And I think certainly in my own trajectory,
I can trace every pivotal moment in my career
to, um, a person of color or a woman,
and in some cases both,
and I think that really points to the necessity
that we need to be in those positions of power,
of hiring power, and when we're there,
it can't be enough that we are there,
we have to make sure that other folks
can be in the room with us.
Um, it's not enough to just be in proximity to power,
we also have to possess it.
And some of that has to do with making our own institutions
and our, you know, our own places where we can flourish.
And I think that's something that I am seeing.
There's all of these friends of mine that are creating
their own companies and doing it their own way,
and-and really, um, thinking not just about opportunity
but about ownership, and that to me is the most exciting thing
that I see happening inside of this industry.
Um, it will literally eventually change
the face of Hollywood, but in terms of inclusion,
that's not something that happens by mistake,
which is why I advocate for things like the 4% Challenge.
You have to make it a mandate, I think, at the studio level.
Um, and, you know, to me,
that will be the real marker of changes,
when we can make those systemic changes
that are, you know, written and actionable.
Well, you're doing an amazing job.
Um, I loved watching you in this film, because,
I don't know, it was just nice to see human beings
loving each other during this time.
-Isn't that nice? -It is, right?
It was just, it was just, like, a wonderful feeling.
It really was. I loved it. I loved the music.
I loved the feel and the vibe.
It was great to watch a period piece like this,
where it was, like, I've never seen anything like this,
or it's been an extremely long time.
So, um, thank you very much for your art, as always,
and thank you for joining me on the show.
Thanks so much for having me. It's always such a pleasure.
-Take care, Tessa. -You, too.