Taraji P. Henson (Entertainment Weekly)
Ahead of a hit Fox TV series’ third-season premiere, one of its stars is mulling future work opportunities. Taraji P. Henson’s star reached greater heights thanks to her part as Cookie Lyon on “Empire.” But the actress is also balancing the role with movie offers.
“Well, of course, I want it to go into syndication,” she told Entertainment Weekly. “It’s not like it’s a bad job. You see how much fun we have. Even with the crew, you can feel the energy on this set. So it’s not like it’s a bad job. But what I’m starting to find is that now I’m getting more offers for features.”
The actress earned her third Emmy nomination thanks to her popular character on the music show.
“I’ve gotten people dressing their dogs up like Cookie, cats up like Cookie,” she said.
But she is still working on films like she has in the past.
Next year, Henson will star in “Hidden Figures” alongside Octavia Spencer and Janelle Monae. The Jan. 13 release focuses on the true story of NASA’s first Black female mathematicians.
Taraji P. Henson poses for “Entertainment Weekly”
“I love features ’cause it’s a chance for everybody to remember ‘she’s a character actress, not just Cookie,’ ” she shared.
After “Empire” premieres Sept. 21, Henson will also add a book to her body of work. Her autobiography, “Around the Way Girl,” is set to go on sale Oct. 11. She is also the face of a new makeup line by MAC Cosmetics.
Still, Henson won’t put her 16-year-long film career behind her. She has plenty of ideas about the other kinds of movie characters she wants to portray.
“I haven’t played a superhero yet, I haven’t played a psycho character yet,” the actress said. “I want to play a man, like I want to really disappear. I have so much to do.”
