{"id":232930,"date":"2026-01-07T20:28:10","date_gmt":"2026-01-07T20:28:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/232930\/"},"modified":"2026-01-07T20:28:10","modified_gmt":"2026-01-07T20:28:10","slug":"tessa-thompson-is-cooking-up-something-big-and-she-knows-youre-watching","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/232930\/","title":{"rendered":"Tessa Thompson Is Cooking Up Something Big \u2014 and She Knows You\u2019re Watching"},"content":{"rendered":"

Tessa Thompson<\/a> looks more like she\u2019s lounging in a Gothic manor than being interviewed in a minimalist SoHo hotel. The 42-year-old actress is positively ethereal in a fabulously sophisticated suit (not an infrequent occurrence when considering her iconic style and affinity for playing with more masculine fashion) while she occasionally sips from a teacup, its saucer carefully perched on her lap. The deep grey and purples of the background only add to the overall sense of regal whimsy.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a fitting atmosphere given Thompson’s own enchanting quality, with her soothing voice and big smile that seems to reach every part of her expression. Luckily, her natural charm has a disarming effect rather than an intimidating one. She makes herself feel right at home in the space, pulling her knees to her chest at one point and draping her arm over the back of the chair at another, wordlessly inviting me to get cozy, too. There\u2019s a patient serenity to her energy and sense of intention behind her ambition that makes for a strong leader, excellent colleague, and generous interviewee.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s been a whirlwind few months for Thompson, whose film Hedda<\/a> premiered at TIFF in early September to huge acclaim. Boasting an impressive 90% on Rotten Tomatoes<\/a>, the drama \u2014 which sees Thompson team up with frequent collaborator Nia DaCosta<\/a> to take on Henrik Ibsen\u2019s famously demanding titular role \u2014 earned her a Golden Globe nomination as well as a spot on numerous \u201cBest of 2025\u201d lists. (The speculation is that Thompson may be able to use this momentum to land her first Oscar nomination.)<\/p>\n

Alongside her ongoing FYC campaign, Thompson is promoting her newest project: His & Hers<\/a>, Netflix\u2019s buzzy adaptation of Alice Feeney\u2019s 2020 psychological thriller novel. The miniseries follows Thompson\u2019s Anna Andrews as she returns to her hometown of Dahlonega, Georgia, to investigate a murder \u2014 the same one her estranged husband, Detective Jack Harper (Jon Bernthal<\/a>), is also looking into. Suspicions abound, as each character has their own secret connections to the case, and the series itself feels like Sharp Objects<\/a> meets Under the Bridge with a bit of Mean Girls<\/a> sprinkled in \u2014 which proved an irresistible combination for its lead actress<\/p>\n

Joining Netflix’s \u2018His & Hers\u2019 Was a No-Brainer for Thompson<\/p>\n

\"Tessa
\n Photography by Stephanie Diani for Collider<\/p>\n

When it came time to sign on for His & Hers, Thompson admits now that \u201cit was an instant yes,\u201d but there was another very good reason: series writer and director William Oldroyd, whose work she had become familiar with a decade ago, completely by chance. \u201cOne of my favorite things to do if I have a day off in a city and I’m just hanging out is to walk around and get lost in it,\u201d Thompson reveals. \u201cAnd then the most decadent thing that I love to do is to [come across a] cinema, see what’s playing, and walk in and see a movie.\u201d<\/p>\n

This carefree attitude led to a 2016 afternoon screening of Lady Macbeth in London. \u201cI didn’t have any plans to see the movie, and it really blew me away,\u201d Thompson recalls. \u201cI just was so haunted by it and his particular kind of storytelling \u2014 the way he shoots. There were remarkable performances in that, from Florence Pugh to Naomi Ackie and Cosmo Jarvis \u2014 all of these incredible actors. You can really tell the freedom that they have in the piece also has to do with who’s lending it and their relationship with the director.\u201d<\/p>\n

Thompson vowed then and there that she would find a way to work with Oldroyd someday. \u201cI kept an eye on him, so it was so crazy and exciting when he approached me with this.\u201d The timing couldn\u2019t have been better. Thompson was in Atlanta at the time shooting Creed III<\/a>, around two hours south of Dahlonega, where the majority of Feeney\u2019s book takes place. When the two met over Zoom, Thompson was pleasantly surprised to find Oldroyd \u201cdisarmingly charming, affable, and funny\u201d \u2014 a stark contrast to the relentlessly bleak vibe that characterizes his projects. They agreed that they should actually film the series in Georgia for authenticity\u2019s sake. As soon as Thompson got off the call, she got in her car and drove to Dahlonega: \u201cI went to see it that day and was like, \u2018Wow, this is so special.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

As a producer, Thompson worked closely with Oldroyd in pre-production to establish His & Hers’ tone, which marks somewhat of a departure from the director’s work. \u201cThe work he’s made before was very dark, very auteur-driven dramas, and he wanted to make something that was poppier and had a bit of wink-wink,\u201d Thompson adds, noting that Oldroyd was partially inspired by the Agatha Christie<\/a> books he grew up loving, which he ultimately got her into as well.<\/p>\n

Thompson, in turn, introduced Oldroyd to certain music, with him ultimately inviting her to help choose key tracks and shape the show\u2019s overall sound. \u201cMusic is a huge way into character for me,\u201d she says. \u201cI build playlists both for the character and then for the world of the show.\u201d As for His & Hers, Thompson describes the Netflix miniseries as having a \u201ckind of tender throwback sound\u201d combined with a \u201cforward, propulsive rhythm,\u201d citing Aretha Franklin<\/a> as her most listened-to artist during filming, alongside ballads about lost love and the longing of old R&B.<\/p>\n

This sense of collaboration \u2014 as well as the lighthearted energy Oldroyd brought to their initial Zoom meeting \u2014 lasted through filming as well. \u201cHe’s very serious about the job, and cares about it tremendously, and is so thoughtful and so overprepared, but in terms of how he runs a set, it’s super loose and really fun,\u201d Thompson recalls. \u201cEveryone loves him, you know? [His & Hers] is a culmination of so many things that he’s been thinking about and working on for such a long time, so it was a really big gift to get to make it with him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Oldroyd wasn\u2019t the only person Thompson was excited to collaborate with behind the scenes \u2014 Jessica Chastain<\/a> also served as an executive producer through her company, Freckle Films. Thompson reveals the Oscar winner was crucial in getting His & Hers off the ground, particularly in the early stages, but also trusted Oldroyd\u2019s vision implicitly. \u201cShe and her company were so helpful in the beginning in figuring out the puzzle pieces. They were a tremendous support and gave us their blessing, and we went ahead and did our thing and always knew that there was a super capable, caring hand. I hope this is just the first time that our professional paths connect and meet. Hopefully, we’ll be on-screen together [someday].\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018His & Hers\u2019 Lets Thompson Go Toe-to-Toe With a Ruthless Ensemble of Women<\/p>\n

While Chastain doesn\u2019t make an appearance in His & Hers, Thompson still gets to spar with a wealth of powerhouse women \u2014 another element that intrigued and excited her about the project. \u201cThere’s some real complexity and a lot of complications in these relationships,\u201d Thompson notes, \u201cwhich gave me the incredible opportunity to work with all these amazing ladies, like Poppy Liu, and Rebecca Rittenhouse, and Marin Ireland, who I’ve been such a fan of for so long. They\u2019re just so talented.\u201d The series’s examination of female rage and vengeance, in particular, felt especially exciting and subversive for an actress to explore. \u201cThere\u2019s something very cool, and disruptive, and sexy, and dangerous about it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Liu and Ireland play the older versions of Anna\u2019s former classmates from the prestigious St. Hilary\u2019s Academy, Helen and Zoe. Though they all found themselves in the same friend group, the relationship was frequently strained, and racial issues and class disparity were on display; Anna was one of the only Black students, and her mother worked as a housekeeper for the families of her peers. As adults, Helen works as St. Hilary\u2019s headmistress, while Zoe is an irresponsible single mother raising her six-year-old daughter. Even though the series takes place in the present day, it\u2019s peppered with flashbacks to the three characters in high school, which Thompson argues enriches the story. \u201cHaving all of these amazing young actors come in and play us gives so much to the tone and texture.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kristen Maxwell is remarkable as the teenage version of Anna, but Thompson credits the young actress entirely for the power of her performance. \u201cI called her one day, and I was like, \u2018I hope this isn’t awkward, but if you want to come and watch me work, you’re totally welcome to any time,\u2019\u201d Thompson says. \u201cIf I were playing the younger version of someone, I would be really hungry to understand what they were doing so that I could find mannerisms or an affect that made sense.\u201d Maxwell evidently felt the same, which paid off. \u201cShe really graciously took me up on the offer and came in to watch me work, so that’s all of her brilliance \u2014 translating whatever it is that she saw in my performance and bringing it to hers. She\u2019s tremendous in this show.\u201d<\/p>\n

Thompson spent her own high school years working in food service after lying about her age to get a job at Hot Dog on a Stick \u2014 the first on a long list of odd jobs that also includes bar mitzvah dancer and Chinese restaurant hostess. Even then, she was striving for greatness and seeking things she was passionate about. \u201cI’ve always been of the mind that, anything you do, try to do it really well,\u201d she muses. Sometimes, there’s this delineation between the jobs that you just do because they’re jobs and the things that you really care about. Even when I was doing jobs just to get by, if I couldn’t find a way into really caring about them and trying to do them well, I was like, \u2018Maybe I should just find a new [one],\u2019 which is why I had so many.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI’ve always been of the mind that, anything you do, try to do it really well.\u201d<\/p>\n

Thompson\u2019s list of extracurriculars was just as varied and extensive, including everything from theater to sports to a club called the Racial Harmony Group, which she co-founded in an effort to create a more tolerant environment. \u201cPart of the reason why I took up so many hobbies and activities was that I was searching for a sense of belonging and community,\u201d Thompson admits. \u201cWe all are searching for that, but it seems to be exacerbated by the hormones of being a teenager. I always felt on the outside of any group. I never felt like I squarely belonged in any one place, so I don’t know where that ranked me in the pecking order. I don’t feel like I was popular enough to be one of the mean girls, which is probably a good thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Thompson Learned How to Talk the Talk for \u2018His & Hers\u2019<\/p>\n

\"Tessa
\n Photography by Stephanie Diani for Collider<\/p>\n

Books were a key part of helping Thompson understand her His & Hers character. Beyond the Agatha Christie novels Oldroyd recommended, she also \u201cdevoured\u201d Connie Chung and Barbara Walters\u2019 memoirs to better understand the lives of female journalists. But the most important text was, unsurprisingly, Feeney\u2019s novel on which the series is based. Thompson confesses that mystery thrillers aren\u2019t what she typically reaches for, but that His & Hers definitely made her want to read more. \u201cI think the joy of making this show was getting to invest in that more in the literary space.\u201d<\/p>\n

Thompson is no stranger to adaptations, having previously starred in Rebecca Hall<\/a>\u2019s 2021 film Passing opposite Ruth Negga<\/a> \u2014 an experience she looks back on fondly. \u201cIt was based on this beautiful novella by Nella Larsen\u2026 she writes completely from the perspective of my character, Irene, and it was so dense that you just understood all of her thoughts.\u201d There\u2019s a massive benefit, Thompson insists, in having source material to refer back to. \u201cI adore adaptation as an actor. Often, you’re trying to find the subtext \u2014 the stuff that’s not said. And when you have sort of a side-by-side \u2014 the script and then this brilliant prose and text that has all of the subtext in it \u2014 it adds a richness to performance that I really, really, really enjoy.\u201d<\/p>\n

In addition to reading autobiographies, Thompson also went straight to the source to observe female journalists in the field. \u201cI really love the challenge of your character having a job inside an industry that you don’t know much about \u2014 an industry that you’ve never worked in \u2014 and I really loved the process of getting to know folks and going in-studio and shadowing. It really changed the way that I watched the news.\u201d It resulted in a funny full-circle moment when Thompson found herself sitting down with ABC News anchor Linsey Davis to promote Hedda after studying Davis herself for His & Hers. \u201cI loved thinking about the people who would have been impactful for [Anna] when she was coming up. It felt very cool to suddenly have these news forces that I had always known and was familiar with, but to imbue them with this sense that my character would have [admired] them.\u201d<\/p>\n

One of the biggest challenges for Thompson was capturing the specific voice news anchors have, combined with the fact that Anna would naturally have a bit of a Southern twang. Luckily, the actress is something of a vocal chameleon, with even her accents in the MCU<\/a> and Hedda sounding markedly different. For His & Hers, though, Thompson knew she wanted to play it subtle. \u201cWhen you have a very strong regional accent, when you go into the news, you have to soften it,\u201d she explains. \u201cIt would have been something that Anna \u2014 particularly because she knew really early on that she wanted to be on the news \u2014 would have deliberately really thought about.\u201d<\/p>\n

The softening of Anna’s accent is a key part of the character’s desire to shed parts of her background and identity. \u201cThere are stronger accents that people have in Dahlonega because it’s closer to Appalachia,\u201d Thompson points out. \u201cShe left Dahlonega for very specific reasons, so it’s also tied to that. She goes to Atlanta \u2014 which obviously is not that far, but is a sprawling metropolitan city \u2014 and she’s begun this new life.\u201d Anna\u2019s accent gets marginally stronger at certain points of the show, which emphasizes the theme of never fully being able to escape yourself or outrun your past. \u201cThere is this thing that you really hear from folks who have stronger dialects \u2014 the times when it comes back are when they’re back with their family, when they’re upset, when they’re drunk, or when they’re sleepy. Once she comes back to Dahlonega, no matter what work she’s done to soften her dialect, certain subtle things come across in the voice.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI really love the challenge of your character having a job inside an industry that you don’t know much about \u2014 an industry that you’ve never worked in.\u201d<\/p>\n

Not every aspect of Anna required a bevy of outside research for Thompson. Unfortunately, one of the most painful aspects of His & Hers \u2014 the fact that Anna\u2019s mom is suffering from dementia \u2014 hit much closer to home. \u201cIt’s a very real struggle that so many people and families deal with \u2014 and certainly in mine,\u201d she shares. \u201cI have a living grandparent now who has Alzheimer’s, and it’s been a big part of my world and my family history, so it’s something that really matters to me in terms of those kinds of portrayals. I hope that we’re painting a portrait of real tenderness and confusion. It’s an incredibly challenging, mercurial disease to navigate as a loved one, and a family member, and a caretaker, and certainly for the person battling with it themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n

Within the scope of family, His & Hers offers a nuanced exploration of motherhood that Thompson points out is contributing to an ongoing cultural conversation. \u201cWhether it’s Hamnet or If I Had Legs I’d Kick You or Die My Love or even One Battle After Another, you’re seeing a lot of female protagonists who are navigating their complex and compelling relationships to motherhood. I feel like motherhood is in the zeitgeist in a way.\u201d Though Hedda isn\u2019t directly about motherhood, Thompson emphasizes another Ibsen play, A Doll\u2019s House, as a staple in that genre. \u201cNora, in A Doll’s House, leaves her two young children to try to find her own sense of agency and figure out who she is, not in relation to her family \u2014 to her husband or to her children \u2014 but just in relation to herself. It was written in the 1800s, so I think that this is something that we have wrestled with culturally for a really long time. There’s this cultural expectation that, once you become a mother, that is sort of the most defining thing about you.\u201d<\/p>\n

That\u2019s not to say Thompson doesn\u2019t see the value of motherhood \u2014 quite the contrary. \u201cObviously, it’s a remarkable thing to do \u2014 mothers are extraordinary. We take our mothers for granted, frankly, and how fundamental that responsibility and relationship is.\u201d Thompson\u2019s relationship with her own mom certainly contributes to this perspective. \u201cMy mother just flew home today. She was with me last night in New York City, hanging out with me through a time that\u2019s really exciting for me, which was so nice. It’s incredible. I know my mom feels a tremendous amount of pride, and also, I’m interested in my mom’s own interiority. I’m like, \u2018What about you, lady? What do you want? I’m a grown human. What’s your life now, when it’s not fretting about me?\u2019 Any stories that are really interested in the interiority of a woman who just happens also to be a mother, I think, are really important.<\/p>\n

Playing Anna demanded a lot of mental and emotional preparation, but also a physical component, especially during the series’s action-packed conclusion, which includes an epic throwdown. \u201cStunt work is always such a dance,\u201d Thompson says, \u201cand it’s so cool when you get to work with extraordinary talents in the stunt space who just make it feel super dangerous and violent, but really safe. We shot it over like a handful of days, and they were really hard days \u2014 challenging physically \u2014 but really, really incredible. We felt excited about a real finale that, pun intended, pulls no punches.\u201d<\/p>\n

Thompson on Why She Loves Marvel and Martha Stewart<\/p>\n

\"Tessa
\n Photography by Stephanie Diani for Collider<\/p>\n

Thompson\u2019s experience playing Valkyrie in the MCU certainly came in handy regarding the athleticism His & Hers required. A proudly bisexual, hard-drinking warrior turned king of New Asgard, Valkyrie has been a key character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe for nearly a decade, debuting in the fourth-highest-rated movie in the franchise, Thor: Ragnarok<\/a>, alongside names like Chris Hemsworth<\/a>, Tom Hiddleston<\/a>, Cate Blanchett<\/a>, and Idris Elba<\/a>. Thompson would go on to appear in Avengers: Endgame<\/a>, Thor: Love and Thunder<\/a>, and The Marvels<\/a>, the latter of which was directed by DaCosta and sees Carol Danvers (Brie Larson<\/a>), aka Captain Marvel, team up with her biggest fan, Kamala Khan\/Ms. Marvel (Iman Vellani<\/a>), and her late friend\u2019s daughter, Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris<\/a>), after their powers get entangled, causing them to randomly swap places.<\/p>\n

Thompson unfortunately didn\u2019t get a chance to properly promote The Marvels due to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike, and though she doesn\u2019t have a major role in the film, her screentime was still definitely memorable \u2014 particularly for those who were rooting for a relationship between Carol and Valkyrie. The brief interaction sees the two of them holding hands and ends with Valkyrie kissing Carol on the cheek before helping her find a home for displaced Skrulls, with many fans speculating that this intimacy, while vague, hinted at a romantic spark<\/a> between the two (a theory that gained even more credibility when reports there was cut dialogue<\/a> that would have confirmed as much leaked).<\/p>\n

I ask Thompson to weigh in on whether Carol and Valkyrie might be former flames. \u201cI don\u2019t know that they have a history,\u201d she confesses. \u201cBrie and I never spoke about it, and that scene, in particular, is just leader to leader \u2014 I didn\u2019t think there was anything slyly sexy in there.\u201d She is, however, definitely not opposed to anyone shipping it \u2014 nor is she ruling out a future between the two. \u201cI really appreciate my sapphic homies who will find those things. Valkyrie, in general, is a flirty Asgardian and is throwing things at the wall and seeing what sticks. Could something happen between them? Certainly, from Valkyrie\u2019s perspective. Definitely.\u201d<\/p>\n

Thompson is also game to work with the 23-year-old Vellani again, praising her talents and noting that more interaction between Valkyrie and Kamala would be a recipe for comedy gold. Beyond sharing more scenes with her former Marvels co-star, however, she acknowledges the greater potential within the MCU for more onscreen team-ups. \u201cThe thing that’s cool about the Marvel Cinematic Universe in general is that it’s peppered with such cool actors and so many people who I like a lot. I could imagine having fun with so many of them because everyone’s just great, and rad, and good at their job, and fun to be around.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI think the thing that’s cool about the [Marvel] cinematic universe in general is that it’s peppered with such cool actors and so many people who I like a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n

The list of actors that Thompson is inspired by isn\u2019t limited to the MCU. \u201cThere’s been a lot,\u201d she says, when I ask about the performers who have blown her away lately. \u201cAnd there are still a lot of movies that I haven’t seen.\u201d She again shouts out the ensembles of Hamnet and One Battle After Another<\/a> (\u201cmost especially Benicio del Toro\u201d), as well as Sinners<\/a>, helmed by her Creed<\/a> director Ryan Coogler<\/a>. Other favorites include Sentimental Value<\/a>, Weapons<\/a> (particularly Amy Madigan<\/a> and Julia Garner<\/a>), and Sorry, Baby<\/a>. \u201cI loved Eva Victor and Naomi Ackie,\u201d she says of the latter. \u201cI thought they were so beautiful together. I thought it was such a strong and steadfast debut, both in the writing and directing, and marks the emergence of a really special voice.\u201d<\/p>\n

The ultimate icon in Thompson\u2019s mind, however, isn\u2019t an actor at all, nor is it a director or even musician. I simply had to ask about an interview with Deadline in October 2025<\/a> in which she recalled meeting her idol, Martha Stewart, who made her a \u201cdelicious, crazy-strong margarita.\u201d When I bring it up, Thompson buries her face in her arms, silently laughing for a good 10 seconds. \u201cI really feel like I shouldn’t have done that,\u201d she finally admits. \u201cIt’s not good. I was already doing research into who we have in common, so I could end up somewhere she was. I was like, \u2018I’m going to try again, and next time I meet her, I’m going to be cool.\u2019 I really did feel like I was going to be friends with her, and now, I don’t know that I ever will be, because she knows that I want it so badly.\u201d<\/p>\n

Thompson says Stewart\u2019s business acumen and overall vibe are the two main reasons she\u2019s so drawn to the legendary tycoon. \u201cI just think she’s fucking cool, man,\u201d the actress bluntly informs me. \u201cAnd she doesn’t give any fucks \u2014 she’s exactly who she is. I just like her. I like her story. She’s imperfect \u2014 like we all are \u2014 and she’s not afraid to just be like, \u2018Yeah, this is who I am.\u2019 I met her in a space where there were a lot of people with big personalities, but you know when Martha Stewart’s in a room.\u201d She especially admires how Stewart was able to turn something like homemaking, which has historically been written off due to its focus on women, into a successful brand. \u201cShe’s an amazing entrepreneur. She made a massive business and became this mogul.\u201d<\/p>\n

Thompson Is Producing the Future She Wants to See<\/p>\n

\"Tessa
\n Photography by Stephanie Diani for Collider<\/p>\n

Thompson isn’t only a talented actress \u2014 she\u2019s also among the growing ranks of performers branching out and producing. Her company, Viva Maude, gets its name from the 1971 film Harold and Maude<\/a>, which was, in ways, ahead of its time. \u201cIt was universally panned [when it came out]. It took almost a decade before audiences got it, and now, the film has a cult following, and it’s been influential for so many directors that we know and love.\u201d Thompson confesses she’s always loved Maude for the twist she puts on the manic pixie dream girl. \u201cFor my money, she’s one of the first occurrences of this trope \u2014 this woman who comes into a depressive man’s life and turns it around with her zest for life and vivaciousness. But she herself disrupts the trope because she happens to be a woman in her late 80s who also has a death wish.\u201d This, Thompson says, mirrors her company\u2019s mission and the kinds of stories she\u2019s interested in telling with her producing partner, Kishori Rajan. \u201cThat is what the company wants to do, which is to create new comps, to expand our ideas of a story that we think we know told in new ways, lending protagonists that don’t typically get to be center in a frame.\u201d<\/p>\n

Specifically, Thompson is focused on creating more roles for Black protagonists \u2014 something she believes has the power to extend far beyond the screen, impacting culture and positively shaping people\u2019s lives. \u201cSo many [people I want to work with] are filmmakers who are really interested in expanding and disrupting images of Black humanity on screen and Hollywood iconography that tells the stories of Black identity,\u201d she adds, highlighting the importance of diverse and complex representation. \u201cThat’s something that I’m always going to be interested in, selfishly, because I want to tell stories that I find interesting and compelling. More broadly, the images that we put out not just tell us who we are but tell us who we can be. When you work inside a paradigm that is really limiting, it limits your own idea of self.\u201d<\/p>\n

Many of these pioneers, Thompson recognizes, are fresh voices waiting to be discovered or promising talent ready for a bigger budget and more commercial platform. \u201cI love working with first-time directors. It’s been such a great pleasure, joy, and privilege over the course of my career. I’ve been really lucky to work with sort of auteur indie filmmakers as they get into newer spaces,\u201d she says, citing her experiences with Coogler, DaCosta, and Oldroyd, as well as Justin Simien<\/a>, who cast Thompson in his directorial debut, Dear White People, and Taika Waititi<\/a>, who helmed Thor: Ragnarok and Love and Thunder after a run of beloved independent gems. \u201cI want to continue to do that. [I want to be] able to help a kind of filmmaker who has such an out-of-the-box, wacky idea that’s hard to get off the ground like a Boots Riley,\u201d she says. (Thompson starred in his debut feature, Sorry to Bother You<\/a>.) \u201cAll of these films have been so foundational to me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Keeping with Viva Maude\u2019s \u201cliterary-minded\u201d objectives, their next release will be another adaptation, this time of a play called Is God Is, set for release by Orion Pictures in May. Written and directed by first-time filmmaker Aleshea Harris, who also penned the play, Thompson promises it\u2019s \u201csomething you\u2019ve never seen before,\u201d calling Harris \u201ca really singular voice.\u201d The film follows two sisters with disfiguring burn scars who, at the urging of their ailing mother, journey across America to bring their abusive father to justice. Thompson says the film is fun and electric in the vein of a Quentin Tarantino<\/a> outing, though the fact that it\u2019s \u201cparticularly and especially centered around two young Black women\u201d gives it a distinct flavor and perspective. \u201cIt’s by them, really, and for them, and I think it really is special.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe images that we put out not just tell us who we are but tell us who we can be. When you work inside a paradigm that is really limiting, it limits your own idea of self.\u201d<\/p>\n

Thompson\u2019s interest in subversive twists in media expands to classics and gender as well. In an October 2025 interview<\/a> with Bella Freud for Fashion Neurosis, she expressed interest in playing Romeo in Romeo and Juliet someday. \u201cThat was the first professional play I ever did,\u201d Thompson says when I bring it up in our conversation. \u201cI played Juliet when I was 18, and it remains a singular experience in my career, mainly because it was the first time I really understood, \u2018Oh, wow, this is really, really what I want to do.\u2019 So the idea of getting to play the character on the other end feels cool. Obviously, in Shakespeare’s time, all of the women were played by men, so I like the idea of the women getting to play men now.\u201d When I ask who she thinks would make an interesting Capulet to her Montague, she\u2019s quick to turn the question back on me. \u201cYou cast it,\u201d she requests. \u201cI\u2019m more interested in hearing.\u201d Janelle Mon\u00e1e<\/a> is perhaps an obvious choice (their music videos \u201cPYNK\u201d and \u201cMake Me Feel\u201d both showcase palpable natural chemistry between the two), but they\u2019re the first person who comes to mind. \u201cCall her up,\u201d Thompson responds. \u201cLet’s get her on the line.\u201d<\/p>\n

It would, admittedly, be a bit soon to throw Thompson into yet another tragic tale, but she\u2019s done it before \u2014 shooting Hedda and His & Hers within months of one another \u2014 and she\u2019s gotten better at learning how to take care of herself in the process. \u201cIf I’m entirely honest, I was not kind to myself when I was shooting Hedda,\u201d Thompson confesses, saying she had to \u201cshake off the terror [she] committed to [herself] during that time\u201d before being ready to dive into Oldroyd\u2019s series. \u201cIf I could do it again, I maybe would have taken more breaks from being in that dress so I could actually take a breath, or maybe I wouldn\u2019t have stayed in my tiny little cavern spiraling all weekend. Maybe I would have gone out and seen a friend or had a coffee. Maybe I would have changed the way that I worked.\u201d<\/p>\n

One might assume that His & Hers\u2019 longer shoot would have been more draining, and that serving as the only on-set producer from her company during filming would cause added stress, but Thompson reveals that it was actually a blessing when it came time to set healthy boundaries for herself. \u201cMy producing partner, Kishori Rajan, was away making a film that we have coming out later next year, so wearing those multiple hats, I had to get better at shaking things off so I could problem-solve as a producer and also be there and available for all our actors and everyone on set. We had kids on set, so I wanted to keep a buoyant energy and be open and available to everybody.\u201d<\/p>\n

Thompson has conquered the big screen, the small screen, and the stage as an actor, but she’s quickly becoming one of the most exciting producers as well. That alone is impressive enough, but it\u2019s clear she\u2019s the type of person who\u2019s always looking for new challenges. Could that include writing, I wonder, or maybe directing? Thompson gives me a coy smile when I inquire about whether either of those things is in her future. \u201cYeah, I have stuff I’m cooking up in that arena.\u201d I press for details, and she contemplates for a moment before saying she has to keep those close to the vest. \u201cLet’s just say,\u201d she teases, \u201cit’s very much in motion.\u201d<\/p>\n

Photography: Stephanie Diani | Makeup: Alex Babsky | Hair: Lacy Redway | Styling: Karla Welch | Agency: The Wall Group, The Visionaries<\/p>\n

\"his+hers-netflix\"<\/p>\n

Release Date<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tJanuary 8, 2026<\/p>\n

Network<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tNetflix<\/p>\n

Directors<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tWilliam Oldroyd<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Tessa Thompson looks more like she\u2019s lounging in a Gothic manor than being interviewed in a minimalist SoHo…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":232931,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[321,93,61,60],"class_list":["post-232930","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-celebrities","tag-celebrities","tag-entertainment","tag-ie","tag-ireland"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/232930","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=232930"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/232930\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/232931"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=232930"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=232930"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=232930"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}