Thompson’s Bianca isn’t the stereotypical wife or girlfriend sports films are known for. There is no doubt that the Creed franchise revolves around Adonis Creed, but, as Thompson puts it, Bianca is the film’s “beating heart.” Jonathan Majors makes a splashy, enigmatic entry into the franchise with a performance you won’t be able to look away from (seriously, Majors’ Damian Anderson is chilling and charming, dangerous and disarming, all at once), but it’s Thompson who elevates the film from a classic showdown between two foes to a commentary on masculinity, marriage, motherhood, and what happens when two kids from Philly get everything they ever dreamed of — well, almost everything. The film finds Bianca at an interesting point in her career. She’s a successful songwriter and producer, but she’s stopped performing because of her hearing loss. She’s also the mother of a deaf daughter and wife to a soon-to-be retired famous boxer. Bianca’s story is as fascinating and thrilling as Damian and Adonis going toe-to-toe in the ring. And for Thompson, Bianca is exactly the kind of “complicated woman of color” (a term she says is effective but as overused as “diversity”) she hopes to bring to life through her production company Viva Maude.
