Taraji P. Henson broke down in tears in a recent interview when asked about reports that she was thinking about giving up acting. During a SiriusXM interview, Gayle King brought up the subject.
The 53-year-old actress broke down in tears and took a moment to convey her frustration, saying, “I’m just tired of working so hard, being gracious at what I do [and] getting paid a fraction of the cost.” During the tearful moment, Danielle Brooks, her co-star from The Color Purple, offered support.
Taraji P. Henson and her co-star were promoting their next movie, which is based on the 1985 Spielberg picture, the 2005 musical, and the novel by Alice Walker. She was upset that, despite having prominent billing, she had received less money for previous projects than some of her white co-stars. She also took issue with studio executives’ suggestion that she didn’t have enough foreign fans who would pay to see her films.
Taraji P. Henson noted that many Black actors shared her concerns regarding unequal pay, expressing weariness at hearing similar grievances. She emphasized the financial difficulties of overseeing a group of people and handling substantial costs even though she doesn’t get paid what she feels is fair.
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She gave an explanation of the monetary deductions from her earnings, mentioning the effect on her renegotiations and her frustration at having to start over every time. She talked about how hard it is to hold onto her position and how important it is to support up-and-coming talent in the industry while crying.
During the interview, Taraji P. Henson broke down in tears to address concerns about pay disparities, expressing annoyance with the justifications offered by the industry, such as the inability of foreign films to translate. She underlined the need to counteract the industry’s detrimental effects on the soul by diversifying her revenue streams with sponsorships and non-acting work.
Her assertions were corroborated by the movie’s director, Blitz Bazawule, who said that actors had to try out for parts that should come naturally to them. Henson also discussed her struggles to obtain just compensation, citing examples from her career such as the movie “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” and disclosed her stagnant pay rate since 2018.
Taraji P. Henson weeps while recounting the unfair treatment of Black actors in Hollywood.
