Oscar-nominated actress Taraji P. Henson sits down with Cathy Hughes to talk about this year's Oscars, working with leading men and why she's been in the game for so long.
Birthday: September 11,
1970
Birthplace: Washington, D.C.
Relationship: Single
Children:
1, Marcel
In this TV One on One, Cathy Hughes interviews Oscar-nominated actress Taraji Penda Henson. They discuss her early days, path to Hollywood and what she’s been up to since her Red Carpet debut.
Henson, whose first and middle name are Swahili for “hope” and “love,” has fought her way to the top. She first attended North Carolina A&T, where she majored in electrical engineering but after a failed class, she opted to transfer to Howard University. In order to pay for Howard, Henson worked two part-time jobs, in the morning as a secretary at the Pentagon and at night as a singing and dancing waitress on a dinner cruise ship, the Spirit of Washington.
Making her acting debut in 1997 on the sitcom Sister, Sister, Henson has since risen in notability among her acting peers. She has had supporting roles in Baby Boy and Four Brothers. Her breakout performance opposite Terrance Howard in the acclaimed urban drama Hustle & Flow set the critical buzz in motion for her performance and for her singing on the film’s soundtrack single and Academy Award-winning It’s Hard Out Here for a Pimp. Henson has also received praises for her roles in Talk to Me, Tyler Perry’s A Family that Preys and her most recent and Oscar-winning film, The Curious Case of Benjamin Buttons.
Taraji P. Henson says her philosophy in life is: "Love as often as you can. Dance like nobody's watching. Travel. Eat. Try new foods because you never know what's coming for you and when it's time to let go, you got to let go."
