Aunjanue Ellis recently dazzled movie screens and received rave reviews after she starred opposite Will Smith’s Oscar performance in King Richard. Speaking in an exclusive to Variety, Ellis proclaims her bisexuality.
The Academy Award nominee previously said “Queer” on her sleeve when she appeared at the Essence Black Women in Hollywood event but wondered why no one paid it attention.
“I was thinking, ‘Why didn’t more people pay attention to that?’ And I was like, they probably thought it said ‘Queen,’” Ellis said to Variety. “It wasn’t that I was expecting any sort of major reaction or anything like that. One of my family members noticed, but nobody else did.”
Ellis also detailed how her family and friends in Mississippi expressed being “hurt” by her decision to have the word on her arm.
“I am a work in progress, and my family and my community are works in progress. I really believe that that is important to say because I’m not alone. We see people on the other side of it, where everybody’s good and fine: ‘Love is love.’”
Ellis would detail that she didn’t acknowledge her bisexuality until she entered her 30s, reflects on her current relationship, and more in the full feature available here.
