For over two decades Taraji P. Henson has been an always more than welcome presence in movies and TV, to put it mildly. But what if she suddenly retired? If she did it wouldn’t be because she didn’t enjoy acting. It would be because she’s so incredibly tired of being treated like crap by an industry long infamous for mistreating and underpaying its incredible talent. That’s what Henson said — while in tears — during a recent, heartbreaking interview.
I felt this shit to my core!! It don’t matter how much you work, how great you are at your job. They still don’t see you or think you are a relevant source. And I do feel scared for the Leslie joneses that will come after me! I felt this shit @tarajiphenson I’ve loved you since… pic.twitter.com/SVh0dZ46Bk
— Leslie Jones
(@Lesdoggg) December 20, 2023
Per The Daily Beast, Henson went on Gayle King’s SiriusXM show, ostensibly to discuss her role as nightclub performer Shug Avery in the new musical movie take on Alice Walker’s The Color Purple. It’s never been easy for Black performers to get their foot in Hollywood’s door, and Henson — despite having a Golden Globe, a SAG award, six Emmy nominations, plus scores of popular entertainments under her belt — said it’s still not easy for her. And he is tired.
“I’m just tired of working so hard, being gracious at what I do, getting paid a fraction of the cost,” she wearily explained. “I’m tired of hearing my sisters say the same thing over and over. You get tired.”
Henson said that despite all her paychecks, “the math ain’t mathing,” as she put it. “And when you start working a lot, you know, you have a team. Big bills come with what we do …There’s a whole entire team behind us. They have to get paid.”
She described the vicious circle from which she can’t find her way out.
“I’m only human,” Henson said, “and it seems every time I do something and I break another glass ceiling, when it’s time to renegotiate, I’m at the bottom again like I never did what I just did, and I’m just tired. I’m tired. I’m tired. It wears on you, you know? Because what does that mean?”
At this point Henson covered her face, holding back tears. “And if I can’t fight for them coming up behind me,” she said, “then what the f*ck am I doing? … They play in your face, and I’m supposed to smile and grin and bear it.”
This isn’t the first time Henson has broken down trying to explain how exhausted she is with the entertainment industry. During an interview with The Hollywood Reporter earlier this month, she also went off:
“I’ve been doing this for two decades and sometimes I get tired of fighting because I know what I do is bigger than me. I know that the legacy I leave will affect somebody coming up behind me. My prayer is that I don’t want these Black girls to have the same fights that me and Viola [Davis], Octavia [Spencer], we out here thugging it out. Otherwise, why am I doing this? For my own vanity? There’s no blessing in that. I’ve tried twice to walk away [from the business]. But I can’t, because if I do, how does that help the ones coming up behind me?”
Listen, Hollywood: Taraji P. Henson should not be crying talking about working with you. She should be telling stories about Michael Ealy’s unfortunate B.O. Fix this.
(Via The Daily Beast)