W Magazine delivers a stunning photo shoot of Miss Taraji P. Henson and talks to her on an array of topics including:
Auditioning for the role of Precious…
“Lee wanted me for the thin, pretty teacher in Precious,” in a statement to W Magazine. “And I was like, ‘Well, I want to play Precious—because that’s the role in this piece.’ Lee thought I was nuts. I was like, ‘Look, they turned Charlize Theron into a monster! I could be this girl!’ When I think about that now, it was such a Cookie move.”
Lee Daniels persuading Henson to audition for the role of Cookie..
“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. Clearly, this was a challenge.”
Criticism from the black community on Cookie as a role model…
“When I hear that Cookie is a bad representation of black women, I don’t get involved. Maybe Cookie makes you uncomfortable because she reminds you of yourself. People miss the bigger picture when they start judging.”
Being a working mother and raising her son in Hollywood…
“It was a struggle,” Henson remembered. “But my son grew as my career grew. I never had a nanny—I did TV so I could be home with him. I wasn’t making my millions, but I was able to fulfill my dreams and be a mother.”
Check out the beautiful photos and read the full interview here.
