Actress Tessa Thompson is looking like the baddie that she is and she serve us Old Hollywood glamour and talks light skinned privilege, broadening the lens of Black storytelling and more for EBONY Magazine’s December/January cover.

In her eye-opening and compelling interview with EBONY, the critically acclaimed actress goes in-depth with Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Wesley Lowery about the above listed issues as well as what attracted her to the role in Passing and how she hopes to contribute to broadening the lens of Black storytelling through her own production company – Viva Maude.

On light-skinned privilege in Hollywood:

“I’ve been able to play a lot of very different characters I’m not sure women who came before me—who I stand on the shoulders of—would have been able to. I’ve had the opportunity to really understand and unpack my own measure of privilege inside of the industry, and as someone who hopes to be a changemaker, [I’ve asked myself,] How do I contend with that? What do I do?”

On what attracted her the role of Irene in ‘Passing’:
“Getting to watch a woman unravel, getting to watch that on-screen…I don’t think that Black
women are allowed to exist in narratives like that very often. I just don’t think that Hollywood
affords Black women the opportunity to do that very often.”

On broadening the lens of Black storytelling through her production company, Viva
Maude:
“There is the opportunity to put so many different kinds of Black women on-screen in parts that
don’t get to be the love interest, that don’t get to be the love seeker, that don’t get to take up
space in that way.”

In addition to the cover, the December/January edition also includes an exclusive Interview with
Thompson’s long-time stylists and powerhouse styling duo Wayman + Micah, who discuss
their inspiration for the shoot and the importance of amplifying Black designers through their
work.

The Ebony December/January Issue is on newsstands now.

Passing is now streaming on Netflix.