Tessa Thompson opens up about her sexuality in a new interview but remains coy about the nature of her relationship with Janelle Monáe.
The 33-year-old Westworld and Thor: Ragnarok star and singer fueled romance rumors over the last year, especially after the release of Monáe's sexually suggestive music videos "Make Me Feel," which shows the two almost kissing, and "Pynk," which shows Thompson popping out of Monae's vagina-like pants.
"I can take things for granted because of my family – it's so free and you can be anything that you want to be. I'm attracted to men and also to women," Thompson told NET-A-PORTER's weekly digital magazine PorterEdit. "If I bring a woman home, [or] a man, we don't even have to have the discussion."
"That was something I was conscientious of in terms of this declaration around Janelle and myself. I want everyone else to have that freedom and support that I have from my loved ones," she said. "But so many people don't. So, do I have a responsibility to talk about that? Do I have a responsibility to say in a public space that this is my person?"
"We love each other deeply," she about her and Monáe. "We're so close, we vibrate on the same frequency. If people want to speculate about what we are, that's okay. It doesn't bother me."
Monáe, 32, had told Rolling Stone in April, "Being a queer black woman in America...someone who has been in relationships with both men and women—I consider myself to be a free-ass motherfucker."
She said she initially identified as bisexual, "but then later I read about pansexuality and was like, 'Oh, these are things that I identify with too.' I'm open to learning more about who I am."
In April, Monáe remained coy when asked in a New York Times interview what she thought about the Internet's speculation of a romance with Thompson.
"I hope people feel celebrated," she replied. "I hope they feel love. I hope they feel seen."
"To see the full interview with Tessa Thompson, read PorterEdit at www.net-a-porter.com/porter/article-502e16f70e0351fa and/or download the Net-A-Porter app for iPhone, iPad and Android.