Cast & Creative
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Adrien Brody is a two-time Academy Award winner for Best Actor, recognized for his extraordinary performances in Brady Corbet’s The Brutalist (2024) and Roman Polanski’s The Pianist (2002). Brody’s portrayal of Holocaust survivor and architect László Tóth in The Brutalist earned him his second Oscar, as well as numerous other accolades, including BAFTA, Golden Globe and Critics Choice honors, cementing his place in the pantheon of great actors. His recognition for The Brutalist came 22 years after his first Oscar, which he won at age 29, making him the youngest Best Actor winner in history.
Throughout his career, Brody has collaborated with acclaimed directors such as Wes Anderson, Steven Soderbergh, Spike Lee and Peter Jackson, and has been recognized with major awards and nominations across film and television, as well as an Olivier nomination for his London stage debut of The Fear of 13. He also received Emmy nominations for his portrayals in “Houdini” and “Succession.” In addition to acting, Brody produces films under his production company, Fable House. He is also an accomplished painter and music producer.
Tessa Thompson is an award-winning actress with an extensive and diverse resume across film, television and stage. She has also cemented her status as a formidable producer having launched her production company, Viva Maude, in 2020. In 2019, Thompson graced the cover of Time magazine as the “Leader of the Next Generation.”
Thompson starred in the titular role of Hedda Gabler in Nia DaCosta’s 2025 film Hedda for MGM’s Orion Pictures and Plan B, and she also served as a producer under her Viva Maude label. The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 7, 2025, released in theatres on October 23, 2025, and on Prime Video on October 29, 2025. Thompson has received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress, Motion Picture, Drama, as well as a Film Independent Spirit Awards nomination for Best Lead Performance and a Gotham Award nomination for Outstanding Lead Performance. She won Best Actress at the 2025 Black Film Critics Circle Awards, the Actress Award at the Critics Choice Association’s 8th Annual Celebration of Black Cinema and Television, the Spotlight Award at the 2025 Gotham Awards, the Distinguished Performance Award at the SCAD Savannah Film Festival, and the Outstanding Achievement in Acting Award at the 2025 Newport Beach Film Festival.
“Thompson combines refined and creative diction, taut reserve, and radiant power. With precision, concentration, and sincerity, she delivers maximal emotion with apparently minimal exertion.” Richard Brody, New Yorker
“Thompson is marvelous in the role. Even the way she chomps a cherry off a cocktail toothpick has menace.” Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times
Thompson and Viva Maude joined as executive producers for Brittany Shyne’s documentary Seeds, which won the Sundance Film Festival’s U.S. Documentary Grand Jury Prize in 2025 and has been selected for the Oscar shortlist for the 98th Academy Awards. The documentary showcases a portrait of Black generational farmers in the American South, following their joys and struggles, as well as the significance of owning land and the fragility of legacy.
Thompson is now starring in Netflix’s psychological thriller limited series His & Hers, in which she is also an executive producer. The six-episode series, adapted from Alice Feeney’s novel of the same name, follows Anna (Thompson), a television reporter who lives in haunting reclusivity, fading away from her friends and career in Atlanta. When she overhears about a murder in Dahlonega—the sleepy town where she grew up—she is snapped back to life, pouncing on the case and searching for answers. Jon Bernthal co-stars.
In 2024 Thompson starred as Beth in The Listener, directed by Steve Buscemi. The film premiered at the 2022 Venice International Film Festival and was released in theaters on March 29, 2024. Thompson also served on the Venice Film Festival Jury for Horizons Section that same year.
In 2023 Thompson reprised her role as Bianca in Creed III, opposite Michael B. Jordan. Creed II released in 2018, and the first film released in 2015. Jordan will make his directorial debut in Creed III and will also co-produce alongside Sylvester Stallone and Ryan Coogler.
On television, Thompson starred in the Emmy-nominated, hit HBO drama series “Westworld” as Charlotte Hale, a mysterious and savvy provocateur with a unique perspective of Westworld. Executive produced by J.J. Abrams and Jonathan Nolan and inspired by writer-director Michael Crichton’s 1973 feature of the same name, the series garnered a total of 43 Emmy nominations combined from its first and second seasons. Season 4 released on HBO in June 2022.
In 2022 Thompson reprised her role as Valkyrie in the fourth installment of the world-renowned Thor franchise, Thor: Love and Thunder. She originated the role in 2017 in Thor: Ragnarok, opposite Chris Hemsworth. Directed by Taika Waititi, the Marvel Cinematic Universe blockbuster film grossed over $800 million worldwide. She also made a brief appearance in Avengers: Endgame in April 2020.
In 2021 Thompson starred opposite Ruth Negga in Rebecca Hall’s Passing, which Thompson also executive produced. The film premiered at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival, and Netflix acquired it following its successful debut. Passing, an adaptation of Nella Larsen’s 1920s Harlem Renaissance novel that explores the practice of racial passing—a term used for a person who classifies as a member of one racial group who seeks to be accepted by a different racial group—released globally on Netflix in November 2021.
In 2020 Thompson starred in Amazon’s Sylvie’s Love, which she executive produced and costarred alongside Nnamdi Asomugha. Set in New York City during the 1950s and ’60s, the story follows Sylvie (Thompson), who meets aspiring saxophonist Robert (Asomugha). Directed by Eugene Ashe, the film was nominated for a 2021 Emmy Award in the category Outstanding Television Movie, and a 2021 NAACP Image Award in the category Outstanding Television Movie, Limited–Series or Dramatic Special.
Also in 2020, Thompson starred in QCode’s mystery/sci-fi podcast series “The Left Right Game,” which she also produced. The 10-episode series podcast was created by Jack Anderson and is based on his original blog of the same name. Following the successful release of the audio drama, Amazon Studios secured the rights to turn this series into a television show, with Thompson also producing.
In 2019 Thompson voiced the titular character Lady in Disney’s live-action, re-imagining of Lady and the Tramp, opposite Justin Theroux. Based on the 1955 animated picture of the same name, the film premiered on Disney+. That same year, Thompson starred as Agent M opposite Chris Hemsworth in Sony Pictures’ Men in Black: International, the fourth installment of the film series. The film was produced by Laurie MacDonald and Walter F. Parkes, executive produced by Steven Spielberg and directed by F. Gary Gray.
That year Thompson also starred as Ollie in the NEON independent drama Little Woods, opposite Lily James. The film debuted at the 2018 Tribeca Film Festival and was the first project of Thompson and director Nia DaCosta’s ongoing collaborations. Thompson and DaCosta met at the 2015 Sundance Institute Directors Lab, where DaCosta was developing the film and asked Thompson to star in it. The film follows two estranged sisters who are driven to extremes when their mother dies, leaving them with one week to pay back her mortgage, and explores themes of economic hardship, the opioid crisis, and women’s healthcare.
In 2018 Thompson starred as Detroit in Boots Riley’s Sorry to Bother You. Following its world premiere at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival, the dark comedy was acquired by Annapurna Pictures and later received numerous accolades, such as an NAACP Image Award nomination, Film Independent Spirit Award, National Board of Review Award and a Gotham Audience Award. Earlier that year, Thompson starred as Josie Radek in sci-fi thriller Annihilation, opposite Natalie Portman. The film was distributed by Paramount Pictures, based on the best-selling novel of the same name, and directed by Alex Garland.
In 2014 Thompson portrayed the civil rights activist Diane Nash in the Brad Pitt and Oprah Winfrey-produced film Selma. After its initial premiere at the American Film Institute Festival, the drama received a wider theatrical release. As a result of the film’s critical recognition, it garnered a Golden Globe and an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture. Additionally in 2014, Thompson starred as Samantha White in director Justin Simien’s independent satirical drama, Dear White People. The film debuted at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival and received favorable reviews. Thompson’s performance earned her a Gotham Award for Breakthrough Actor, as well as a nomination for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture in the 46th Annual NAACP Image Awards.
In 2016 Thompson made her Off-Broadway debut as Valerie in the Second Stage Theater production Smart People, alongside Joshua Jackson, Mahershala Ali and Anne Son. Smart People takes place during President Barack Obama’s final term in 2008 and analyzes his journey to the White House and how his race changed the conversation about race itself.
Thompson’s career took off at the young age of 18, following her professional debut as Juliet in the Romeo and Juliet: Antebellum New Orleans 1836 theater performance, for which she received an NAACP Image Award nomination. In 2006 she made her first feature film appearance as Scarlet in the horror film remake of When a Stranger Calls. Between 2008 and 2009, Thompson also appeared in the films Make it Happen, The Human Contract, Periphery, Red & Blue Marbles and Mississippi Damned, the latter for which she was awarded a Grand Jury prize in the category of Best Actress. Additional film credits include Nyla/Purple in Tyler Perry’s film For Colored Girls, War on Everyone, and Furlough.
Thompson’s other television credits include Jackie Cook on the second season of the hit drama “Veronica Mars,” Sara Freeman on BBC’s first original scripted program, “Copper,” and guest roles in the CW’s sci-fi drama “Heroes,” CBS’s police series “Cold Case,” ABC’s medical series “Grey’s Anatomy,” the CW’s teen drama “Hidden Palms,” NBC’s “Life,” ABC’s “Private Practice,” TNT’s “Rizzoli & Isles,” ABC’s “Off the Map,” and ABC’s “666 Park Avenue.”
In 2020 Thompson launched her production company, Viva Maude, driven by her vision to influence culture through projects that defy categorization and are manifestly entertaining. In 2021 Kishori Rajan, known for her work on “Random Acts of Flyness,” teamed up with Thompson to further expand Viva Maude’s portfolio in production and development. The company currently boasts a diverse slate of more than 20 feature films and television projects in various genres, encompassing narrative, documentary, and unscripted content. Viva Maude’s upcoming film, Is God Is, from Amazon MGM Studios and Orion Pictures, is set to release in cinemas on May 15, 2026.