Tessa Thompson Says It's Been a 'Dream' to Empower 'So Many' LGBTQ Fans to Come Out

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Tessa Thompson knows the power of stepping into her truth.

The Emmy nominee, 38, opened up about the "tremendous" feeling of empowering her LGBTQ fans to come out during an appearance on Variety's Just for Variety podcast.

"That's been tremendous," said Thompson, who revealed in 2018 that she's attracted to both men and women. "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."

She returns to her Marvel role as Valkyrie in Thor: Love and Thunder, following her debut as the MCU's first LGBTQ superhero in 2017's Thor: Ragnarok.

"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," she mused of onscreen LGBTQ representation.

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Thompson also noted the "tremendous amount of pressure" Hollywood puts on stars to fit into a particular mold when it comes to sexuality.

"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," she said, adding: "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," Thompson said.

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The Veronica Mars alum previously opened up about her sexuality during an interview with Net-A-Porter after her appearance in Janelle Monáe's "PYNK" music video prompted fan speculation around their relationship.

"[In my family] you can be anything you want to be," she said in 2018. "I'm attracted to men and also to women. If I bring a woman home, [or] a man, we don't even have to have the discussion.

"I want everyone else to have that freedom and support that I have from my loved ones. 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?" Thompson added.

Thor: Love and Thunder is now in theaters.