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BANG Showbiz English

Tessa Thompson believes she is helping to “save lives” by being open about her sexuality.

The ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ actress revealed four years ago she is attracted to both men and women and she admitted it means a lot to her when young people write to her to tell her that her own admission gave them the strength to come out to their families.

She told Marc Malkin on the ‘Just Variety’ podcast of the letters: “That’s been tremendous. I’ve had so many folks write me and say that they were able to come out or to talk to their family, which is a dream.”

The host said to her: “I will say this to you and I will say it to any artist who lives their truth as a queer person, you’re saving lives. I truly believe that.”

Tessa agreed: “I think you’re right. I don’t know, there is something powerful about seeing an image of yourself reflected in any way. But we know all too well there are some ways that really just matter because we don’t have enough of it.”

The 38-year-old actress feels “really lucky” that she’s been able to be true to herself because she knows there is a “real problem” in Hollywood surrounding the pressure some stars are placed under not to speak about their sexuality.

She said: “I feel really lucky in the sense that I work in real close proximity to people that I think want to advocate for me to be myself and be the fullest expression of myself.

“I think the industry at large might put a tremendous amount of pressure, never mind their sexuality, but a real pressure, I think, to be a certain kind of thing.

“And I think that’s intensified particularly where sexual orientation is concerned and that’s a real problem. And it’s still a problem that I know friends of mine, dear friends of mine, have been deeply affected by.

“I think we have a tremendous amount of work to do, but I feel really lucky to exist inside of a space, both in my professional space and my personal space and familial space, where I feel really loved and supported for who I am. And I know that is a privilege that not a lot of people share. So to those folks that don’t have those spaces, I see them.”