Tessa Thompson has spent the last decade carving out one of the most compelling careers of her generation. 

The Emmy-nominated actress has moved fluidly between blockbuster franchises and intimate, character-driven projects, earning critical acclaim for performances that prioritize emotional precision over excess. 

From redefining Valkyrie in the “Thor" franchise to her quietly powerful work in "Passing” and “Creed,” Thompson has become known for choosing roles that challenge both audience expectations and herself.

That momentum carried into “Hedda,” one of the most talked-about films of 2025, where the critically honored performer delivered a turn that sparked conversation for its psychological restraint rather than spectacle. 

It was another reminder that the actress thrives in material that demands nuance, tension, and interiority, which are qualities that continue to define her most celebrated work.

She now kicks off 2026 with “His & Hers,” a limited series that leans fully into that sensibility. 

Set against the sweltering heat of Atlanta, Thompson plays Anna, a former news anchor living in haunting reclusivity until a murder in her hometown jolts her back into purpose. Opposite Jon Bernthal, who plays the role of Detective Jack Harper, the series unfolds as a psychological duel built on mistrust and shifting truths, proof that for this award-nominated leading woman, the most compelling stories are the ones where certainty is impossible.

When asked how she balances the narrative she knows to be true with the ones others try to place on her, especially as a woman in Hollywood, the 42-year-old is clear about what she’s learned to protect. 

“I try not to think about it too much,” she says, recalling a period when untrue narratives about her life circulated publicly. “It was a lot of emotional energy exuded that wasn’t worth it.”

 What steadied her during that time was a sense of certainty. 

“If I know the truth of my life—who I am, and the things I do and don’t do—with people around me who know the same, that’s the most important thing to me.”

That clarity becomes vital to Anna’s emotional arc. The character exists in a state of isolation, grief, and professional detachment, having drifted from the career that once defined her, until one case snaps her back into motion. 

For the Los Angeles native, Anna’s unraveling felt entirely recognizable. 

“It all felt so human to me,” she explains. 

While she hasn’t experienced the specific loss that shapes Anna’s grief, she understands how deeply it can reshape a person’s inner world. 

“I do understand that people who have that, it’s unlike anything and permeates your world and existence.” 

She connects just as strongly to the quieter erosion Anna experiences. 

“Going through an extended period of losing grip with oneself and things that used to excite you… It’s hugely relatable and understandable.” 

Anna’s ambition, too, struck a chord. 

“It’s a tremendous thing to exist inside of a career that gives you a huge sense of purpose and identity,” Thompson says, acknowledging that same drive in her own life. “But it can also be a crutch if it’s too tethered to your work.”

Because the series centers on a woman trying to be believed while piecing herself back together, questions around doubt, dismissal, and judgment, particularly for Black women, naturally surface. 

But the Golden Globe recipient says those conversations didn’t need to be explicit. 

Thompson, who also worked as a producer, helped build the series from the ground up and intrinsically felt that intention was baked into the work itself. 

“We didn’t have any of those conversations because I don’t think we needed to,” she explains. 

Instead, the focus was on care for every character, every choice, every layer of the story. 

What excited her most was the opportunity to shift the landscape. 

“There have been tons of limited series toplined by incredible actors, and very few of those actors have ever been of color,” she notes. 

The result, she says, is a protagonist audiences rarely get to see.

“At the end, she’s this bold, incredible woman of color in a TV space where that hasn’t always existed.” 

The series is available for streaming on Netflix on Thursday, January 8th.