‘Thor: Ragnarok’ Director Taika Waititi Reflects On Casting Tessa Thompson as Valkyrie

Jul 17, 2016

Tessa Thompson will be playing Valkyrie, a Marvel heroine that was both a Defender and an Avenger. Director Taika Waititi was interviewed by Comic Book Resources and spoke on casting her in Thor: Ragnarok, along with the non-controversy about attempting to add diversity to the film.

Right from the start we wanted to diversify the cast, and it’s hard when you’re working with Vikings. [Laughs.] You want to be more inclusive and provide a broader representation. And at that point, you have to look at the source material as a very loose inspiration. And then take it from there and go with your gut. Say, “You know what? None of that stuff matters. Just because the character was blonde and white in the comic book. That doesn’t matter. That’s not what [that character] is about.”

People forget that. Die-hard fans will say, “That’s not really authentic to the comics,” but as soon as they watch the movie, and they’re involved in the story, and actually what’s happening, everybody forgets. The fact that we even have to keep having this conversation is ridiculous because we keep forgetting. Unless it’s the topic of the film, it just shouldn’t even be — what do we even care?

I think the story is king, and you want the best person for the job. And Tessa tested against — we cast a very broad net, and Tess was the best person.

SOURCE: CBR

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