Taraji P. Henson‘s behavior during a recent interview had viewers suspecting she has tension with her “Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist” cast mates Samuel L. Jackson and Terrence Howard.
On Sept. 6, Extra published a video clip from their interview with Henson, Jackson, Howard, Kevin Hart, and Don Cheadle about the “Fight Night” movie.
Extra correspondent Mona Kosar mentioned that Henson had previously worked with the other actors from the series except Jackson.
While the men spoke about their past experiences together, Taraji remained quiet.
“It’s always a collaborative space. It’s not a space where actors don’t talk and they try to surprise you with some s—t,” Jackson, 75, said as his colleagues nodded their heads in agreement.
Henson and Howard played lead roles in the “Empire” television series as Loretha “Cookie” Lyon and Lucious Lyon, respectively, from 2015 to 2020. They appeared in the “Hustle & Flow,” “Four Brothers,” and “Term Life” movies as well.
She and Hart starred together in “Not Easily Broken,” “Think Like a Man” one and the sequel.
Despite the talk of unity and harmony, many social media users seemed convinced that Henson was uncomfortable or annoyed. The BFA Collective shared a clip of the conversation on Instagram.
A commenter wrote, “I lowkey never seen Taraji energy be like this in an interview. I wonder what’s up.” Another person added, “Taraji’s acting withdrawn.”
Several people online speculated on a possible rift between Henson and Jackson. For example, someone commented, “Taraji looks like she don’t f—k with Sam.”
However, a responder wrote, “I said that same thing but she looks irritated when Terrence talks.” A like-minded person assumed, “I think it’s Terrence.”
During the Extra interview, Kosar brought up images of Howard’s hair from “Fight Night” going viral in April 2024. A question about the film’s wardrobe led to Henson ribbing Howard and Jackson.
“One thing Terrence will compete with you on is the hair,” the Oscar-nominated actress stated. Henson then turned to Jackson and said, “I wonder where he gets it from. … I would like to see your wig closet,” before laughing.
When questioned about reuniting with Howard for “Fight Night” following their past projects together, Henson answered, “It was very different because we didn’t have a lot of scenes together. I barely saw him.”
Howard also claimed they mostly stayed apart during filming because their characters had a “whole different nature” which affected their real-life relationship. He talked about wanting to hug Henson when he saw her on set but chose against it.
On Henson not interacting with Howard until the end of the shoot, Jackson recalled, “And that one time they brought you down in the basement and everybody was there. But you didn’t look at nobody that day.”
Henson shot her eyes in Howard’s direction and bluntly said, “And I really had to pretend your ass wasn’t there.”
Despite the apparent awkwardness, a YouTube commenter saw the cast’s interview interactions as lighthearted, writing, “Love the chemistry…it’s like a Black family reunion in the backyard.”
Peacock’s “Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist” premiered on the streaming service on Sept. 5. The Shaye Ogbonna-created limited series will present its final episode on Oct. 10.
