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Tessa Thompson feels pressure of representing black women on screen

Tessa Thompson feels under pressure to be a role model for women of colour, but does not want it to effect the roles she chooses.

Tessa Thompson is reluctant to become a poster girl for diversity in Hollywood.

The 34-year-old actress admitted there is a sense of "responsibility" that comes with being part of a "marginalised group" but she wants to be free to make her own decisions without having to worry about wider implications.

Tessa told The Guardian newspaper: "That’s an unfortunate thing, being inside of a marginalised group: you either become the ambassador or you internalise the sense of responsibility for how you represent said group, and while I feel that palpably, I also feel like I wanna be able to do whatever the f**k I wanna do!"

But the ‘Thor: Ragnarok’ star admitted she did directly approach Marvel boss Kevin Feige to demand they make an all-female superhero movie.

She explained: "It was just a Marvel social gathering; we ended up being in a semicircle, a bunch of the women, so we were just kind of talking about how fun that would be. And Kevin Feige happened to be walking past, so we sort of marched up to him and said: ‘Hey, we should do this!’

"He didn’t say yes or no. He said, ‘Let’s explore.’"

But despite wanting to be free to choose any kind of role that takes her interest, Tessa can’t help being driven by her political beliefs.

She said: "I’ve felt this real need to ground my work in my ideals. Cultural change always proceeds political change."

However, the ‘Creed’ star also wants to be part of movies that are entertaining as well.

She said: "Hey man, fun is important. That’s also a public service!"