Tessa Thompson Faces Backlash for Refusing to Utter Philly Slang in Creed III: ‘It Was Painful’

Hollywood superstar Michael B. Jordan recently made his directorial debut with the latest addition to the Creed series. The series, which is a spinoff of the iconic Rocky series, has once again instilled in fans a love for boxing. Like its predecessors, Creed III also received massive support from fans. The movie also had one of the biggest sports movie openings in motion picture history. Meanwhile, the movie also had a host of exciting backstories. In fact, actress Tessa Thompson had a particular story about the archetypal Philly slang.

In an interview with Hollywood Reporter, Thompson said, “I said to them, ‘I’m not saying jawn in this movie because we’ve heard it. We’ve done it. I want to break new territory.”

She further added, “Not saying ‘jawn’ was also a way of saying inside of the filmmaking that you are going to witness someone that is constantly evolving.”

Notably, ‘jawn’ is a slang term from Philadelphia for nouns. The movie series especially emphasized this in the first Creed movie, where Thompson’s character explained the same to the LA-based Creed. Moreover, Creed III was based on a timeline seven years after the events of the first film, with the Creeds residing in LA. Thompson felt that her character outgrew the term.

Creed III was released on March 3, 2023. And featured boxing superstars like Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford making an appearance. The movie also had an impressive opening day, raking in USD 22 million.

READ MORE – Gervonta Davis’ Review of Michael B. Jordan’s ‘Creed III’ Causes a Stir Among Fans

Meanwhile, Thompson’s revelations sent fans into raptures

Tessa Thompson evokes a response from fans

It sure looked like a lot of fans were not too happy with her usage of the term in the previous. And they made it evident when they took to social media to share their thoughts.

User @thaboy6ary reminded her that she used the term in the first film.

Meanwhile, many fans felt that her usage of the term was ‘painful’. Moreover, user @ZeusTheGawd mentioned that it sounded unnatural.

On the other hand, a few fans respected her decision. User @HorchataLatte mentioned that the difference in her accent between the films was evident.

What are your thoughts on Thompson’s statement? Let us know in the comments below.

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