Singer, songwriter and actor Janelle Monáe confirmed her nonbinary identity, saying she's finally "owning" all parts of herself.
Monáe, who is set to star in Rian Johnson's Knives Out 2, spoke openly about her gender identity on Red Table Talk. Monáe tweeted that she's nonbinary in 2020 but had yet to go in-depth on her experience. The multitalented actor opened up during the roundtable discussion with hosts Jada Pinkett Smith, Willow Smith and Adrienne Banfield Norris, saying, "I'm nonbinary, so I just don't see myself as a woman, solely ... I know who I am. I've been playing a version of some parts of me, but now I'm owning all of me."
Monáe, known for her roles in Hidden Figures, Antebellum and Prime Video's psychological thriller series Homecoming, further explained her point of view on binary gender and said her identity is deeply connected to her religious outlook. "I feel like God is so much bigger than the 'he' or the 'she.' If I am from God, I am everything," she said, though the actor still uses she/her pronouns. "But I will always, always stand with women. I will always stand with Black women. But I just see everything beyond the binary."
Having come out as pansexual in 2018, Monáe also touched on how she approaches romantic connection. "When I see people, I see your energy first -- I don't see how you identify. And I feel like that opens you up to fall in love with whoever, with any beautiful spirit." Despite her positive outlook, Monáe said she struggled with coming out to her largely Baptist Christian family. "My whole family is church, church, church. And I'm just like, "Well, what does it mean to go against your whole family on this thing?'" the actor recalled. "But I was ready, I was like, 'You know what, if they don't love me, don't call me asking me for no money. You will not get my LGBTQIA+ money,'" she said with a laugh.
Knives Out 2 is a direct sequel to 2019's Knives Out, though it will follow an entirely new cast of characters and a fresh mystery for Daniel Craig's Benoit Blanc to solve. Not much is currently known about the plot, though a quick glimpse at the film was included in a Netflix promo from February. Monáe's role in Knives Out 2 has yet to be revealed, but she will share the screen with the likes of Dave Bautista, Leslie Odom Jr., Jessica Henwick, Edward Norton, Kathryn Hahn, Kate Hudson and Ethan Hawke.
Knives Out 2 doesn't yet have a release date but is expected to hit theaters in late 2022.
Source: Red Table Talk