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Better.TV's Rhiannon Ally talks to Taraji P. Henson about how she became an actor and her favorite role.

Transcript

Rhiannon Ally: The Karate Kid just hit theatres. And we have the lovely Taraji P. Henson, one of the film stars here with us today. Hello Taraji! Taraji P. Henson: Hi! Rhiannon Ally: Now, you have such a unique story. I’ve read all your history. You actually graduate from Howard University. Taraji P. Henson: Yes. Rhiannon Ally: You were studying, you know, something very different from acting while you were in college. Taraji P. Henson: Yeah, my freshman year, I actually went to North Carolina NT. And I… don’t ask me why. But I was interested in Electrical Engineering maybe because I thought I could still be filthy rich. I don’t know. But I’m not wired mathematically. So, I failed that with flying colors. And that’s what lead me back to Howard University to pursue my dream which I should’ve done in the first place. Rhiannon Ally: So, that’s where you first got into acting while you were at Howard? Taraji P. Henson: Um, no, actually I’ve been acting all of my life, always on the stage. I would do summer. You know when Marion Barry was the mayor of Washington, DC, he had a summer youth program where you could work. And every summer, I was always doing street theatre. So, I was always involved in the arts. And I think what happened, I know not think. I know what happened. I auditioned in School of the Arts and didn’t get accepted. So, I thought that meant I couldn’t act and that, you know my… Rhiannon Ally: They’re kicking themselves now, aren’t they? Taraji P. Henson: (Laughter) yeah. But you know, what are you going to do? That made me strong and actually develops my tough skin that I needed to have coming up to LA because, LA, you get towed 99.9% of the time. So, rejection was, I was like, oh, I’ve been told no before. Rhiannon Ally: Well, you’re not getting rejected now, I bet? Taraji P. Henson: No (laughter). Rhiannon Ally: (Laughter) you’ve had some amazing roles and talked about some of them. Tell us a little bit about Hustle and Flow. You play Shug. Let’s talk about that. You actually got an Academy Award for the song. Taraji P. Henson: Yeah, well, I didn’t, the writers did, 3-6 Mafia. They got. They walked away a bit ago. Rhiannon Ally: But you helped clinched that. Taraji P. Henson: Well, I think so. Actually, Craig Brewer, the director, called when the nominations came down. And he is so sweet. He was like, “You know you’re the reason why the song got nominated.” Because it was the theme and songs normally don’t get nominated just because they’re beautiful. They get nominated because how they move the story along. And I think that year, the song really, that was a pivotal point in the movie. And that song, people just registered that song. They just couldn’t get it out of their heads. Rhiannon Ally: Are we going to be hearing any more singing from you? Taraji P. Henson: I can never say ‘never’. You know, I don’t know. It’s something that I can do if I have to. But it’s not my first passion. I don’t wake up and vocalize every day like I should. So, we’ll see (laughter) Rhiannon Ally: (Laughter) what’s been your favorite role that you’ve played? You’ve played so many different ones. Taraji P. Henson: I think for me, my favorite role was Talk to me, Vernell in Talk to Me because I’m I child of the ‘70s. I love the wardrobe, the hair plus that character I think was a wide range, it showed my range ‘coz she was funny. She was quiet. She was loud. She was crazy. She was vulnerable. I just felt like it really showed my range. Rhiannon Ally: What’s next for you? Taraji P. Henson: What’s next? Who knows? Um, no. I just wrapped the film with Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts called Larry Crowne. And I had two offers on the table now. I’m not sure what I want to do yet. I have to figure it out. Rhiannon Ally: Great to see a lot more of you to come. Thank you so much! Taraji P. Henson: I hope so. Rhiannon Ally: The Karate Kid is in theatres now. We’ll be right back. Taraji P. Henson: Rhiannon Ally: Taraji P. Henson: Rhiannon Ally: Taraji P. Henson: Rhiannon Ally: Taraji P. Henson: Rhiannon Ally: Taraji P. Henson: Rhiannon Ally: Taraji P. Henson: Rhiannon Ally: Taraji P. Henson: Rhiannon Ally: Taraji P. Henson: Rhiannon Ally: Taraji P. Henson: Rhiannon Ally: Taraji P. Henson: Rhiannon Ally: Taraji P. Henson: Rhiannon Ally: Taraji P. Henson: Rhiannon Ally: Taraji P. Henson: Rhiannon Ally: Taraji P. Henson: Rhiannon Ally: Taraji P. Henson: Rhiannon Ally: Taraji P. Henson: Rhiannon Ally: Taraji P. Henson: Rhiannon Ally: Taraji P. Henson: Rhiannon Ally: Taraji P. Henson: Rhiannon Ally: Taraji P. Henson: Rhiannon Ally: Taraji P. Henson: Rhiannon Ally: Taraji P. Henson: Rhiannon Ally: Taraji P. Henson: Rhiannon Ally: Taraji P. Henson: Rhiannon Ally: