According to Creed II director Steven Caple Jr., Tessa Thompson‘s two musical performances in the highly-anticipated sequel were inspired by none other than the bad gal herself, Rihanna.
In a recent interview with Vulture, Caple reveals that Thompson is a “legit” performer, which isn’t too surprising considering she is a singer on the side. When she’s not acting, the 35-year-old performs as one-half of the hip-hop/soul/EDM duo Caught A Ghost.
“[Thompson] had a lot of input on writing her songs too,” reveals Caple. “Moses [Sumney] came in to help make a hook. But lyrically, she’s a poet. I’m jealous, man. She can do it all!”
Caple says that during her final performance in the film, Thompson channeled a musical superstar with as much grit as the film could fit.
“We needed a song that says, ‘Hey, what’s up? I’m ready for war.’ So we were thinking Rihanna — not Beyoncé — because Rihanna has that edge to her,” he continues. “We wanted to make sure that even with Tessa’s character’s transition and growth that she still maintained that edge.”
The Creed II soundtrack, curated by Mike Will Made it, proves that there’s no stopping the energy about to emit from the big screen, and we’re very excited to see what Thompson’s performances entail.
READ MORE: Mike Will Made-It’s ‘Creed II’ Soundtrack Presents Collaborative Knockouts