Tessa Thompson (born October 3, 1983) is a Los Angeles-based American actress whose trajectory has taken her from Shakespearean theatre to indie darlings to blockbuster franchise star. At the age of 42, she has now become one of Hollywood’s most versatile and outspoken talents, known for her incredible range.
After making her mark in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and starring in films like Men in Black: International and Sylvie’s Love, Thompson will next be starring in the upcoming Hedda. Based on the play Hedda Gabler by Henrik Ibsen, it is written and directed by Nia DaCosta.
A Look at Tessa Thompson’s Brilliant Career
Thompson’s early work began on stage in Los Angeles with productions such as The Tempest and Romeo and Juliet: Antebellum New Orleans, 1836, earning early notice and a NAACP Theatre Award nomination (via Britannica).
Her breakthrough on screen arrived in leading roles on Mississippi Damned (2009) and For Colored Girls (2010). She further received critical praise in 2014 with roles in Dear White People and Selma, showcasing her dramatic chops and cultural relevance.
She continued to build momentum with Creed (2015) and its sequels, as well as her memorable turn as Valkyrie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe films Thor: Ragnarok, Avengers: Endgame, and Thor: Love and Thunder.
But her work isn’t restricted to blockbusters alone, as the actress has taken on daring indie projects such as Annihilation and Sorry to Bother You. Moreover, she also starred in series like Copper (2012-13) and Westworld (2016-2022), and even lent her voice to Lady in Lady and the Tramp live-action adaptation in 2019 (via Biography).
Following her success in acting, the actress has also branched out to producing through her production company and recently made her directorial debut by directing the music video for Arooj Aftab’s Raat Ki Rani in 2024.
Who Is Tessa Thompson Playing in Nia DaCosta’s Hedda
In Hedda, Tessa Thompson embodies the character inspired by Henrik Ibsen’s Hedda Gabler, but re-imagined with fresh context and layered complexity. Set in 1950s England, Hedda is a sophisticated and intelligent woman burdened by societal expectations.
Trapped in a marriage of convenience and wrestling with identity, agency, and destructive impulses, she is a force of nature. Bored in her newly domesticated life, it doesn’t take long for her actions to drive the narrative towards psychological collapse and moral reckoning.
While the play has been adapted several times before, this version also seems to infuse subtle explorations of race and gender, identifying Hedda as a mixed-race, bisexual woman navigating post-war British society’s constraints. As the director and actor revealed to The Guardian, Hedda is a “s*xy, sultry, machiavellian, vulnerable mess of a protagonist who does terrible, unforgivable things.“
The film shifts Ibsen’s original intimate drawing-room drama into a high-stakes social milieu, featuring a country estate filled with power games and broken promises, setting the stage for Hedda’s last cards. For Thompson, the role represents both a challenge and a statement: hers is not simply a retelling, but a reinvention of a classic character through a contemporary lens.
So, if you are eager to see Tessa Thompson’s next big turn, mark your calendar for Hedda when it hits theatres on October 22, 2025, and streams on Prime Video shortly after.
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