Tessa Thompson Explains Relationship w/ Janelle Monae, Says She Catfished People For a Social Experiment

Tessa Thompson Explains Relationship w/ Janelle Monae, Says She Catfished People For a Social Experiment

Tessa Thompson wants to be known for being more than just an actress. You might remember the 34-year-old in her breakout roles in Mississippi Damned, Selma, For Colored Girls, Thor: Ragnarok, and most recently Sorry to Bother You, but as Thompson transcends the formal ladder of acting and entertainment. She is also making it distinctly clear that she wants black women to have multiple images of themselves within the media.

Tessa, Janelle

Thompson sparked dialogue and people’s attention after appearing in Janelle Monáe’s Dirty Computer and even sparked a few dating rumors.

Since the formation of rumors, Thompson has denied being involved with Monáe on that level of intimacy. In a new interview, she brings clarity to the status of their friendship. She also speaks about catfishing strangers, Greta Garbo, and the aftermath of her coming out as bisexual.

Her thoughts on being recognizable in public:

“I don’t know if it’s like I have a recognizable face or if I look different enough in the things that I’ve done, but I love that people really know that they know me but they can’t place it. Sometimes it’s just like, ‘Do you know my cousin?’ Like, ‘Did I meet you at Ruth’s party?’”

On dating:

“I currently don’t have time to date. Also, because dating right now requires that somebody gets on a plane, which is fine, but that’s a lot to ask when you’re first … It’s a lot of expectation.”

Tessa

Her experience with catfishing people via a dating app:

“It didn’t go well. We had some passive-aggressive and some just like aggressive messages being, like, ‘You’re not real!’ And I was like, ‘And you’re right, I’m not!’ Delete.”

She talks about the piece where she came out as bisexual:

“I still haven’t read that piece. I was just speaking candidly. I wasn’t there to sort of make any declarations.”

Her fondness of 1920’s actress Greta Garbo:

“And while I found that interesting about her, honestly, when I got done reading about her on Wikipedia, it only just made me want to watch more of her films. I guess that’s sort of the way I feel in general, which is I just want to center the conversation around my work.”

The details of her relationship with Janelle Monáe:

“The truth is Janelle and I are both in a space where we’re trying to push boundaries in terms of the idea of what space a woman of color can occupy. [Me and Janelle are people who] believe fiercely that people should be free to love who they love.”