Why Michael B. Jordan and Tessa Thompson Went to Couples Therapy to Prepare for 'Creed III'

A character development tool turned into a helpful exercise.

Michael B. Jordan and his colleagues are proving how committed they are to producing quality work.

When it comes to delivering on-screen, the Just Mercy star is willing to go to lengths some wouldn't—like attending couples therapy with his Creed III costar, Tessa Thompson, for the sole purpose of strengthening their characters' relationship connection.

In the March 3-released film, Thompson portrays Jordan's now-wife and mother of the couple's child.

In an interview with Refinery29 published March 2, the Sorry to Bother You actress went into detail about the pair's journey through couples therapy in preparation for the third installment of the fan-favorite boxing series.

"The line sometimes between character and us get blurred because we bring so much of what we're exploring personally to the characters in general," Thompson, 39, said of the sessions with Jordan, 36, as their respective characters, Adonis "Donnie" Creed and Bianca.

"I'll say it was an early experience in couples therapy for us both [personally], but it was as these characters, which is very weird," she admitted, adding, "But I think it reminded us of our own personal lives that going to therapy, even when a relationship is good, can be a good thing if you're trying to just sharpen communication and figure out how someone works. It's useful in so many relationships."

Though meant as a character development tool as they were playing their Creed characters during therapy, Thompson explained that the work they were putting in via the sessions started to evolve, merging fiction with reality, saying they were "also reflecting on our own relationships. Since we've been making these movies for eight, nine years, we've seen each other through various stages in our own romantic things."

"We know stuff about each other's lives. We shared and talked about it. So therapy ended up starting at work and getting more personal," she divulged.

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The Sylvie's Love star also spoke to the fact that it was a teaching moment, and helped them "understand" some of the "things young parents who are trying to balance their own dreams and aspirations [are facing]," which would, in turn, help their characters based on what they are up against in the film.

Reflecting over the nine years they've been making the three Rocky spinoff films—Creed (2015), Creed II (2018), and now, Creed III—Thompson noted how much she and Jordan have grown over the years.

"I think a lot of our growth is also parallel to the growth of the characters... in terms of the kind of conversations that we're having together and separately around legacy," she said.

The Dear White People actress also made it a point to mention how she feels the movie is a call to action for viewers on the importance of seeking out therapy for mental health, noting that her character Bianca tells her husband Donnie to go to therapy throughout the entirety of the film.

"I think the moral of Creed III is that all people should go to therapy because it's something that I think really has helped Bianca, for example," Thompson said of her own character's emotional journey throughout the flick.

She continued: "And she constantly reminds me to just stay in therapy, get into therapy, talk about your feelings. You don't always have to have it figured out. You don't always have to be tough."

Creed III is playing in theaters now!

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