Taraji P. Henson Covers W, Recalls Almost Passing on Empire Role: ''I Was Like, 'This Is Stupid!'''

Actress interviews about role in hip hop drama

By Daniel Nissen Jun 23, 2015 6:35 PMTags
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Cookie, that's her name, take a bite!

Taraji P. Henson, star of Fox's hit show Empire is sizzling hot in jeans and an unbuttoned shirt on the cover of W.

Don't be fooled by her gorgeous looks, she's just as tough as her iconic character Cookie, as revealed in an interview with the fashion magazine. 

Discussing a commonality in their personalities, she told the mag, "Cookie is bold and crazy, and she loves the struggle...In that way, we're alike: Cookie is the American Dream...I'm the American dream. I wasn't born with a silver spoon in my mouth. I had a passion, I had a dream and I dived in and I went for my dream and here I am."

However, the Oscar nominated actress was initially hesitant about taking on the role, "I was like, 'this is stupid. Hip-hop—dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb.' But then I started to think, Cookie is going to piss so many people off! She hits her son with a broom; she talks back."

This Cookie character was right up Henson's alley. The 44-year-old has always been bold and theatrical, "I remember the first time I was in front of an audience and that was kindergarten. I remember like it was yesterday...I remember going to the mic and doing something really quirky and I was like: 'I like this.' I like this attention."

She recalled another audacious career moment when she sang "It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp" at the Oscars. "I sang about pimps and whores at the Oscars!" she joked.

She's come a long way from her kindergarten showmanship, now playing one of the most hard ass memorable characters on television. 

Taraji invoked Drake,"started from the bottom now we here."