1 00:00:00,417 --> 00:00:01,377 MAURICE: If you were to die... - Mm-hmm. 2 00:00:01,418 --> 00:00:03,748 - And you were to come back as anything, 3 00:00:03,795 --> 00:00:05,085 what would it be? 4 00:00:05,130 --> 00:00:09,050 - I would come back as a wealthy, powerful white man, 5 00:00:09,092 --> 00:00:12,472 and I would start a movement to dismantle patriarchy. 6 00:00:12,513 --> 00:00:15,473 [uplifting music] 7 00:00:15,516 --> 00:00:21,096 ♪ ♪ 8 00:00:21,146 --> 00:00:23,726 - [vocalizing] 9 00:00:23,774 --> 00:00:26,904 Have you ever wondered how to find your center? 10 00:00:26,944 --> 00:00:29,114 How to balance yourself? 11 00:00:29,154 --> 00:00:30,664 I don't have a fucking clue. 12 00:00:30,697 --> 00:00:31,777 But let me tell you, 13 00:00:31,823 --> 00:00:34,373 I think Miss Tessa Thompson just may. 14 00:00:34,409 --> 00:00:37,119 We're gonna take a journey to figure out 15 00:00:37,162 --> 00:00:40,752 how she does that little balancing act of hers. 16 00:00:40,791 --> 00:00:43,961 [upbeat music] 17 00:00:44,002 --> 00:00:50,592 ♪ ♪ 18 00:00:58,851 --> 00:01:00,231 Welcome to "Centerpiece"! 19 00:01:00,269 --> 00:01:01,399 - Thank you so much. 20 00:01:01,436 --> 00:01:03,436 - This is like the inner workings of my brain 21 00:01:03,480 --> 00:01:04,730 manifested as a set. 22 00:01:04,773 --> 00:01:06,443 - It's like the garden of your mind. 23 00:01:06,483 --> 00:01:08,693 - Yeah! Oh, my God! 24 00:01:08,735 --> 00:01:11,275 [organ plays] 25 00:01:11,321 --> 00:01:14,781 And now, let's take a journey to the center! 26 00:01:14,825 --> 00:01:16,905 [laughs] 27 00:01:16,952 --> 00:01:20,502 So, what kind of flowers are you drawn to? 28 00:01:20,539 --> 00:01:22,079 - I really like succulents. 29 00:01:22,124 --> 00:01:25,504 I also love this idea of something that's beautiful, 30 00:01:25,544 --> 00:01:27,964 but hard to touch or something. 31 00:01:28,005 --> 00:01:29,545 - Oh, a prickly. 32 00:01:29,590 --> 00:01:31,260 - A prickly guy. I like the prickly guys. 33 00:01:31,300 --> 00:01:32,470 - Okay. - Like kind of like these. 34 00:01:32,509 --> 00:01:34,009 You know, they don't look like they're-- 35 00:01:34,052 --> 00:01:36,102 - They're bottlebrush. - They're gorgeous, but they-- 36 00:01:36,138 --> 00:01:38,098 they bring you in, but they also say, like, 37 00:01:38,140 --> 00:01:40,020 you know, "Give me my space." 38 00:01:40,058 --> 00:01:41,438 - Okay, now let's get into this 39 00:01:41,476 --> 00:01:43,516 'cause I think this is talking about something here. 40 00:01:43,562 --> 00:01:45,062 - I like that. 41 00:01:45,105 --> 00:01:46,645 - Like I feel there's this balance to you. 42 00:01:46,690 --> 00:01:49,940 As I see you in things, I feel like you have a sense of, like, 43 00:01:49,985 --> 00:01:51,775 "I'm letting you in," 44 00:01:51,820 --> 00:01:54,570 but I'm also like, "Not too much." 45 00:01:54,615 --> 00:01:57,195 - So I think the same thing about characters in a way. 46 00:01:57,242 --> 00:01:59,662 So, maybe that's my approach a little bit 47 00:01:59,703 --> 00:02:02,503 is that I want to open up enough 48 00:02:02,539 --> 00:02:04,709 to let the audience see everything 49 00:02:04,750 --> 00:02:06,750 and also realize that there are some things 50 00:02:06,793 --> 00:02:08,673 inside the character that I play 51 00:02:08,712 --> 00:02:10,422 that are hidden even to myself. 52 00:02:10,464 --> 00:02:12,724 - Oh. - Because we are just... 53 00:02:12,758 --> 00:02:14,378 - Complex. - Endless. 54 00:02:14,426 --> 00:02:16,676 - The projects that you pick 55 00:02:16,720 --> 00:02:18,470 I feel like they forward that conversation. 56 00:02:18,514 --> 00:02:20,894 So, I'm wondering how do you pick a project? 57 00:02:20,933 --> 00:02:22,853 - I've been working now for over a decade, 58 00:02:22,893 --> 00:02:24,063 and when I first started, 59 00:02:24,102 --> 00:02:27,272 there was a such a limited scope of what you could be 60 00:02:27,314 --> 00:02:28,654 as a young black woman, 61 00:02:28,690 --> 00:02:30,570 in terms of what Hollywood wanted you to be. 62 00:02:30,609 --> 00:02:32,319 And that is just true. - 100% 63 00:02:32,361 --> 00:02:35,491 - Like I want to be able to occupy a lot of spaces 64 00:02:35,531 --> 00:02:37,531 because that's something 65 00:02:37,574 --> 00:02:40,414 that we haven't been able to do enough. 66 00:02:40,452 --> 00:02:42,752 - What I'm hearing, if I may, 67 00:02:42,788 --> 00:02:46,118 is there's like a fluidity to, like, how you work, 68 00:02:46,166 --> 00:02:48,376 and there's a freedom to that fluidity. 69 00:02:48,418 --> 00:02:50,378 Are those your Libra vibes? 70 00:02:50,420 --> 00:02:52,170 You like that? - I love that. 71 00:02:52,214 --> 00:02:53,804 [laughter] 72 00:02:53,841 --> 00:02:56,051 Maybe. 73 00:02:56,093 --> 00:02:58,973 - And now, let's go deep. 74 00:03:01,723 --> 00:03:04,183 - Whoo! 75 00:03:04,226 --> 00:03:05,436 Whoa. 76 00:03:05,477 --> 00:03:06,937 - Dramatic lighting change. 77 00:03:06,979 --> 00:03:09,019 - [chuckles] - [clears throat] 78 00:03:10,691 --> 00:03:12,441 Spring or Summer? 79 00:03:12,484 --> 00:03:14,494 - Spring. [band plays chord] 80 00:03:14,528 --> 00:03:16,318 - ♪ Sister, Sister ♪ 81 00:03:16,363 --> 00:03:18,283 or "Moesha"? - "Moesha"! 82 00:03:18,323 --> 00:03:19,623 - I know. Moe to the... 83 00:03:19,658 --> 00:03:21,868 both: "E" to the Moesha! 84 00:03:21,910 --> 00:03:23,370 [band plays chord] 85 00:03:23,412 --> 00:03:25,212 - DC or Marvel? 86 00:03:25,247 --> 00:03:27,577 - Sir... 87 00:03:27,624 --> 00:03:29,964 they'll come for me. 88 00:03:30,002 --> 00:03:32,002 But, no. Marvel, sincerely. 89 00:03:32,045 --> 00:03:33,625 Not just 'cause if I said the other, 90 00:03:33,672 --> 00:03:35,632 they'd, like, fly down and... [organ plays] 91 00:03:35,674 --> 00:03:37,434 - Hemsworth or Michael B? 92 00:03:37,467 --> 00:03:39,467 Oh, my God. Both. 93 00:03:39,511 --> 00:03:41,011 - You've been busy. - I know. 94 00:03:41,054 --> 00:03:42,224 It's a lot of work. 95 00:03:42,264 --> 00:03:44,104 - But I just mean if you could meld them. 96 00:03:44,141 --> 00:03:46,311 - All in one. Whoo! 97 00:03:46,351 --> 00:03:48,101 [organ plays] 98 00:03:48,145 --> 00:03:50,185 [chime plays] 99 00:03:50,230 --> 00:03:53,320 And lastly, probably the most important question, 100 00:03:53,358 --> 00:03:56,028 if you were to describe me as a flower, 101 00:03:56,069 --> 00:03:57,319 what would I be? 102 00:03:57,362 --> 00:03:59,162 - You know like those, um... 103 00:03:59,198 --> 00:04:02,028 they're, like, blue and there's a little white part, 104 00:04:02,075 --> 00:04:05,035 and then there's these little black squiggly things 105 00:04:05,078 --> 00:04:06,538 that come out of it. 106 00:04:06,580 --> 00:04:08,330 Is it a passion flower? - Oh, my God! 107 00:04:08,373 --> 00:04:10,083 I'm totally there for that! - Yeah! 108 00:04:10,125 --> 00:04:11,915 - You stay here. I'll be back. 109 00:04:11,960 --> 00:04:13,420 Or maybe you'll join me later, I'm not sure. 110 00:04:13,462 --> 00:04:15,092 But we'll figure it out, okay? - Okay, great. 111 00:04:15,130 --> 00:04:16,800 - It's so good to see you, all right? 112 00:04:16,840 --> 00:04:18,300 Have a good one. - Bye, Maurice. 113 00:04:18,342 --> 00:04:19,592 - All right. Bye! 114 00:04:19,635 --> 00:04:21,795 - See you. I'll just be here. 115 00:04:22,804 --> 00:04:26,024 - Girl, it's time to process. 116 00:04:26,892 --> 00:04:30,192 Tessa talked about complexity and simplicity. 117 00:04:30,229 --> 00:04:34,319 And that's what I'm working through as I'm building her installation. 118 00:04:34,358 --> 00:04:39,488 I mean, she exudes balance and boundlessness... 119 00:04:39,530 --> 00:04:43,160 stillness, but yet there's still some motion. 120 00:04:43,200 --> 00:04:47,830 Light, and she still engages the darkness. 121 00:04:47,871 --> 00:04:51,501 Her centerpiece is going to embody it all 122 00:04:51,542 --> 00:04:54,672 and the vast array of who she is. 123 00:04:54,711 --> 00:04:56,961 Or at least I hope so. 124 00:05:01,552 --> 00:05:03,182 Are you ready for this? 125 00:05:03,220 --> 00:05:05,510 - No, I don't know if I am. I just got--I don't know. 126 00:05:05,556 --> 00:05:08,556 Like nervous, excited. 127 00:05:08,600 --> 00:05:10,850 - You've been so generous 128 00:05:10,894 --> 00:05:12,984 giving us, like, opening up, 129 00:05:13,021 --> 00:05:16,151 sharing with us about balance and energies 130 00:05:16,191 --> 00:05:18,441 and openness and endlessness 131 00:05:18,485 --> 00:05:22,695 that I was like, "How do I synthesize this 132 00:05:22,739 --> 00:05:24,989 in the form of a flower arrangement?" 133 00:05:25,033 --> 00:05:26,743 Cue the curtain! 134 00:05:26,785 --> 00:05:29,195 [ethereal music] 135 00:05:29,246 --> 00:05:31,616 - [gasps] 136 00:05:31,665 --> 00:05:34,125 Oh, my God! 137 00:05:34,168 --> 00:05:35,878 Wow! 138 00:05:35,919 --> 00:05:38,919 - We chose this area 'cause it was vast and endless. 139 00:05:38,964 --> 00:05:42,094 It represents how we just go on in our complexities, 140 00:05:42,134 --> 00:05:43,974 but it's also very simple. 141 00:05:44,011 --> 00:05:45,391 - Yeah. - And spare. 142 00:05:45,429 --> 00:05:48,519 She spins around if you want it to. - She--does she really? 143 00:05:48,557 --> 00:05:50,677 - Yeah, spin her. Give her a whirl. 144 00:05:50,726 --> 00:05:53,346 - Oh, she's cool. She's mobile. 145 00:05:53,395 --> 00:05:55,395 - Isn't that amazing? - Yeah, it's incredible. 146 00:05:55,439 --> 00:05:58,439 TESSA: I could live, like, really just live here 147 00:05:58,483 --> 00:06:00,323 for the rest of my life. MAURICE: It's all right? 148 00:06:00,360 --> 00:06:02,150 TESSA: Yeah, it's beautiful. 149 00:06:02,196 --> 00:06:04,736 It's better than all right. Look at it. 150 00:06:04,781 --> 00:06:07,411 - When you present yourself, you're always so, like, 151 00:06:07,451 --> 00:06:09,371 you take up risk. 152 00:06:09,411 --> 00:06:10,911 You kind of have a moment, 153 00:06:10,954 --> 00:06:13,874 but it's still so beautifully composed. 154 00:06:13,916 --> 00:06:15,376 Like I just love that. 155 00:06:15,417 --> 00:06:17,837 I mean, like, you're serving me hair. 156 00:06:17,878 --> 00:06:19,878 You're giving me drama. You're giving me leather. 157 00:06:19,922 --> 00:06:22,172 You're giving me lace, basically. 158 00:06:22,216 --> 00:06:24,126 TESSA: Also, we matched this. MAURICE: Well, you know. 159 00:06:24,176 --> 00:06:27,256 - And it sort of looks like a dance floor. 160 00:06:27,304 --> 00:06:29,774 [chimes jingle] 161 00:06:29,806 --> 00:06:33,056 [upbeat music] 162 00:06:33,101 --> 00:06:40,111 ♪ ♪ 163 00:06:41,318 --> 00:06:43,488 TESSA: [chuckles] - Ow! 164 00:06:43,529 --> 00:06:44,949 Get it double time! 165 00:06:44,988 --> 00:06:46,698 Ah-ah! 166 00:06:46,740 --> 00:06:48,330 Cha-cha! 167 00:06:48,367 --> 00:06:49,737 Ah! 168 00:06:49,785 --> 00:06:51,615 Got--got--got to go! 169 00:06:51,662 --> 00:06:52,792 TESSA: Bye! 170 00:06:52,829 --> 00:06:54,249 MAURICE: Bye. Out. 171 00:06:54,289 --> 00:06:55,419 TESSA: Thank you. MAURICE: See you soon, okay? 172 00:06:55,457 --> 00:06:56,827 MAURICE: Love you! TESSA: Bye!