00:00We always try to really refine her and make sure that she has real specificity
00:05and that even and especially while she's supporting him that she also has her own interior life.
00:11And I think you're right, you don't get to see that in a lot of, you know,
00:15particularly sports films, the spouses in sports films.
00:18Here's what happened with you two.
00:20I didn't tell you.
00:22We was like brothers.
00:24I was the best though.
00:25Man, I never got a chance to prove that.
00:30Hi Tessa, how are you?
00:31I'm so well, thanks. How are you?
00:33I'm doing well. Thank you so much for taking the time today.
00:35It's my pleasure.
00:35I did want to ask, in movies like this, typically when you have like, you know, a wife character,
00:40like their partner, they're kind of there like as, I want to say like motivation for the main character.
00:46But Bianca is like so fully realized and she's her own character.
00:50I wanted to ask you about like her arc and how you felt about bringing this character to,
00:55you know, kind of a new phase of her life in this film.
00:57Yeah, it's such a pleasure and thanks so much for saying that.
01:02It's the thing that I've always really loved about Bianca and playing her.
01:05And I've always felt through making the first one with Ryan Coogler and Stephen Capel on the second one
01:10and this one too, that I've always been invited to really be a co-author,
01:13that I've always been asked a lot about like, where is she now?
01:15Where do you imagine she might be?
01:17And we always try to really refine her and make sure that she has real specificity
01:23and that even and especially while she's supporting him, that she also has her own interior life.
01:29And I think you're right.
01:30You don't get to see that in a lot of, you know, particularly sports films, the spouses in sports films.
01:36And that is what feels so exciting about her.
01:40I think also, you know, playing a character over so many years, I've matured.
01:45I've grown in getting to bring that also to her and having her be a part of my story and my story be a part of hers.
01:53It's a really beautiful, very rare thing.
01:57Awesome.
01:58Now also with that, she's a mom now.
02:00What was it like playing against a new young actress?
02:03It was amazing because I just feel so, she is so talented.
02:07She is so talented.
02:08And, you know, I've worked with so many different actors at various points in their career.
02:13And I've also been the newbie, you know, certainly not as young as her.
02:18I started in my 20s.
02:19But just to see a performer come out and have such confidence is really special.
02:28And then also just knowing what she'll mean to a whole community is really incredible.
02:34And just to get to witness that and be a part of it.
02:37And we had so much fun together.
02:39Now, you've been with this story for, gosh, what is it, five plus years now?
02:44Eight.
02:44Eight.
02:45Nine.
02:45I think it's nine.
02:46Oh my gosh, isn't it that long?
02:48All right, don't remind me.
02:50Don't remind me.
02:52Have you been able to pick up any boxing skills of your own over the years?
02:56Yeah, but not because of this movie.
02:58But I boxed when I'm training for Valkyrie in the MCU.
03:04Those are such physical movies.
03:06And so I do a lot of boxing training to, you know, help supplement all the fight stuff that
03:11I'm doing during that.
03:12So I have picked it up, but not because of this.
03:14But in these films, I get to do the really fun thing of going to boxing matches.
03:18So I've been to, like, tiny ones in Philadelphia.
03:21I've been to the big ones in Vegas.
03:23That's really fun.
03:24And then also getting to watch a lot, um, ones that are, you know, that I don't get to go
03:30to live, but really watching.
03:31And really watching with an eye for what the spouses and partners and family members of
03:37the boxers look like in the ring.
03:38And that's really fun.
03:39And that's entirely because of these films.
03:41I didn't have, like, a huge interest in the sport prior, necessarily.
03:45Now, what, do you have, like, a favorite day on set shooting this one?
03:49I know you guys kind of have, like, a little, like, a family unit going on and off camera.
03:53Yeah.
03:53Like, did you have a favorite day?
03:55I had so many favorite days.
03:57I mean, all my days with Mila, I think, felt really special.
04:00And then, um, our, this, there's a scene where Jonathan comes and visits us and the family
04:08for the first time.
04:09And that day was Mila's last day as well.
04:13And so something about, and one of our last days in Atlanta, so something about that day
04:17felt very, very special.
04:18You know, just having all the main cast in the same house together, really.
04:23These films are so much about family.
04:25And the spirit of making this film really felt familial.
04:29And also to see this, like, collection of young black artists together making this thing
04:38like that, really, that day really moved me.
04:40All right.
04:41Thank you so much.
04:42Yeah, thank you so much.
04:43Thank you for your time today.
04:44It's my pleasure.
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