Welcome to Look Back At It, a column where some of the most iconic Black actresses in Hollywood reminisce and reflect on the roles that made them stars. In this installment, Academy Award nominee Taraji P. Henson breaks down her career—from Baby Boy and Empire to her new Peacock limited series, Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist.
“All of these projects are very special,” says Taraji P. Henson, holding back tears, as we move from one iconic role to the next. “I’m about to get emotional.”
Her career began 30 years ago when she moved to Los Angeles from her hometown of Washington, D.C. with dreams of becoming a sitcom actress. (As a child, her mom used to yell at her for sitting too close to the TV whenever The Carol Burnett Show would come on). So, shortly after landing in Hollywood—with $700 to her name and a newborn son on her hip, as the story goes—she started booking guest-starring roles in shows like Sister, Sister and Smart Guy, while also trying to land a pilot.
“I auditioned for one,” she remembers, “but they were playing the name game back then, so a name got it. And I really wanted that role, but then I booked Baby Boy and it was all dramas after that.” Indeed, after making her feature film debut in John Singleton’s Baby Boy in 2002, some of her most notable roles have been in historical dramas or period pieces like The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (which earned her an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress), Hidden Figures, The Color Purple, and many more.
And although she’s still holding onto her sitcom dreams, she’s immensely grateful for the career that she’s built over the last 27 years. “All of these projects we’re going through are all really good,” she says with a confident laugh. “You haven’t hit one dud. Or rather, you left all the duds off.” Below, Henson reminisces and reflects on some of her most iconic roles.
Yvette in Baby Boy (2001)
“The standout for Baby Boy was the audition. I’m gonna take you back a little bit. So I was in this acting boot camp with Bill Duke and he would have his colleagues come in and talk to us. John Singleton—Rest in Peace, brother. I love you. I miss you.—came and spoke to the class. And whenever we would have our 10-minute breaks, everybody would swarm him. But I didn’t because I knew I’d see him in the real world later. Cut to: Baby Boy. I went in to audition and he remembered me. After that, he called me back in to read with Tyrese and I was so nervous. No one told me that Tyrese was the guy. I remember overhearing him say, ‘I need somebody that’s gonna challenge me.’ And in my brain, I thought, ‘Say less.’ So we’re doing the ‘Give me my keys, Jodie’ scene, right? And all of a sudden, I go off script and he goes with me. I threw some papers at him upside his head and then he got up and I jumped on his back. The audition is online somewhere. And that’s how Jody and Yvette were born.”
Shug in Hustle & Flow (2005)
“I had to convince John [Singleton, the film’s producer] that I could sing, so I went into a studio and recorded myself. As soon as I got the CD back, I said, ‘Where are you?’ He was at Roscoe’s [House of Chicken ’N Waffles]. So I pulled up and played it for him. And that’s how I ended up singing in Hustle & Flow.”
Queenie in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)
“This was such a special project for me. I never thought that they would cast me. Laray Mayfield [the film’s casting director] was a huge champion for me. I remember going into the audition with an apron that I hand-made. And I remember that I didn’t wear any makeup. After that, Laray called me on a Saturday to come meet David Fincher [the director]. I was having a garage sale when she called and I went in kicking and screaming, but then I got the part and an Oscar nomination.”
Lauren in Think Like a Man and Think Like a Man Too (2012 and 2014)
“I love the cast of these movies so much. I’m sure you’ve interviewed all of the people here. [Editor’s note: the main cast, Gabrielle Union, Meagan Good, and Regina Hall, have all been featured in Look Back At It]. They’re all good-hearted, fun, and just fucking talented. And then you put us all in Vegas for the second one? Come on now. We had such an amazing time. It didn’t even feel like work.”
Katherine Johnson in Hidden Figures (2016)
“First of all, when I got the script, I didn’t think it was real. I thought it was a fictional story. The director Theodore [Melfi] arranged for me to meet Katherine Johnson and her family. When you’re playing someone real, you really want to make sure you cross all the T’s and dot all the I’s. You want to do them justice. This was such an incredible role and her work in the math and science space was so important that I didn’t want to fuck it up. She’s very special to me, and it’s one of my most beloved roles of my career.”
Cookie in Empire (2015-2020)
“For me, what stands out the most from Empire was that it was the first time I’d ever done an international [press] tour. I didn’t even do one for Benjamin Button. I’d been told, since early on in my career, that Black projects don’t translate overseas. And after a while, you start to believe that. But then I realized that that was bullshit. When we went on the tour, I was like, ‘Oh, these jokers have been lying to me, man.’”
Shug Avery in The Color Purple (2023)
“What a moment. It was even more special and endearing because I tried to run from Shug. I was offered that role on Broadway and said no, and then she came back. I didn’t even know The Color Purple was being remade. Blitz [Bazawule, the director] called me personally and said, ‘You are my Shug.’ It was so special how he turned trauma into joy. His vision is what sold me on the film. And it was amazing to work with Fantasia [Barrino Taylor] and Danielle [Brooks].”
Vanetta in Abbott Elementary (2023-2024)
“Right before Baby Boy, I was a substitute teacher and I always thought that a school would be a good environment for a show. And now, Quinta [Brunson] has figured out a way to make that happen. Even before I met her, I was a huge fan of the show. It was amazing to watch her work. That’s her shit and it’s very clear that she’s the captain. It was great to see her switch hats—she’ll be acting in a scene and then yell cut to give directions. I love to see a badass woman in her moment. I was just so proud and happy to help lift up her show, not that it needed me. And getting an Emmy nod [for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series] wasn’t bad either.”
Vivian in Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist (2024)
“All of those projects we just went through brought us here. Fight Night is the full-circle moment from that whole career we’ve just carouseled. This was my first time working with Sam [L. Jackson], who is Hollywood royalty. And of course, I’ve worked with Kevin [Hart], Terrence [Howard], and Don [Cheadle] before. And it’s just like, ‘Damn, I’m on the list, too.’
Fight Night is really special because after [the Color Purple press tour last year, where she spoke out about pay inequality in Hollywood], I could have been blackballed, but instead, I was heard. And I hope that by me speaking up, it showed other women to speak up in situations where they feel like they don’t have a voice. So I’m proud of myself for speaking up, and I think this character Vivian, and every woman that we just spoke about, is very proud of me, too.”
Juliana Ukiomogbe is the Assistant Editor at ELLE. Her work has previously appeared in Interview, i-D, Teen Vogue, Nylon, and more.