Taraji P. Henson is bringing her fabulous fashion to the 2021 Emmys red carpet.
The 51-year-old star arrived at Los Angeles' L.A. Live in a black floor-length, long-sleeved sheer Elie Saab gown adorned with dazzling silver sequins. Henson's low-cut dress oozed sex appeal by showing off lots of cleavage but also provided some practicality with always useful pockets. The star completed her stunning look with giant diamond earraings and matching rings.
Henson talked to E! News exclusively on the red carpet and dished to co-host Karamo that's she's still "reaching out" Carol Burnett as she prepares to take over the role of Miss Hannigan in NBC's Annie Live! later this year.
"She's one of the greatest that I've studied," she gushed. "She kept me out of the streets from doing bad things because she kept me standing in front of that television studying her and laughing. So I'm very nervous because those are big shoes to fill but I am up for the challenge for sure."
When Karamo asked if she's ever thought about releasing her own album, Henson teased, "Have you been talking to somebody? Stay tuned!"
Her stunning look should come as no surprise to her fans. After all, Henson always brings her fashion A-game (Did you see her gorgeous Moschino jumpsuit at the Met Gala?).
Henson is a three-time Emmy-nominated actress. In 2011, she was up for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie for her portrayal of Tiffany Rubin in Taken From Me: The Tiffany Rubin Story. She then received back-to-back Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series nods for her performance as Empire's Cookie Lyon in 2015 and 2016.
But during a 2015 interview with E! News, Henson admitted she had some initial reservations about taking on the role.
"It was fearful because the character is so powerful," she explained to Ryan Seacrest at the time. "I just thought it could go one of two ways: They're either going to love her or they're going to hate her."
Once she got over this fear, she continued, she knew she had "a prime opportunity to flip this and show this woman as a real person."
"Someone that, if you show her pain and her history and where all of that comes from, then people will start to empathize," Henson shared. "And that's what humanity is about. We all have our crosses to bear. No one is perfect. And I think that's what Cookie represents. Cookie represents the American dream. She came from nothing, and she built an empire."