Taraji P. Henson enjoys new career milestone as she receives a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame yesterday, January 28th. After steadily auditioning, acting, and showcasing her various skills in her career for over a decade she has a permanent stamp for her recognition. Although she’s been praised for her acting throughout the years including an Academy Award nomination, three Emmy nominations and a Golden Globe win, this moment is monumental to her.
During the ceremony, the 48-year old actress gets tearful as she is honored with the star and dedicates the accolade to her grandmother, mother, and son. She was emotional because her family was there as she explained:
‘Everything I do, I work so hard to make them proud.’
“It means I’ve been doing something important in Hollywood. For me, it’s important because my son, my mom, my grandmother, who is still alive and is 94, will be there.”
She also goes on to say:
“This really confirms that in spite of the circumstances in your life whether you were born into them or they just happened along the way, it doesn’t matter because, with God, all things are possible...I want to say to all of the little brown babies all over the world, ‘Look at me and see you.’ I was a single mom, raised by a single mom and lived in the hood.I never focused on my circumstances. I focused on my dream and looked at God. The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a journey through history and today my legacy will be forever etched in the history of Hollywood. I’ve worked so hard for this. It’s surreal.”
“I’ve been doing this for 20 years. It took me a minute to get to this level. I miss the old days, I must say…”
During her ceremony, Henson is spotted posing with her former NFL player fiancee, Kelvin Hayden over the star as the two share a kiss.
She has over three dozen projects under her belt and now it’s her time to shine! Taraji’s Hollywood Star is primarily for her film work, such as the aforementioned Perry projects, “Proud Mary,” “Hustle & Flow,” “Hidden Figures,” “Baby Boy,” and more. Movies isn’t the only thing she is known for, she has also thrived in other media, including television “Person of Interest,” “The Division,” “Empire” and theater!
Henson’s audience really broadened from Fox’s musical family drama “Empire,” in which she plays the instantly memorable Cookie Lyon, the matriarch of a dysfunctional family-owned entertainment company. When the show premiered in 2015 it had almost 10 million total live viewers and consistently grew its audience every week of the first season. A large part of that success comes from Henson herself, in which she contributed some of the most quotable lines throughout the series, which led to the show and the character trending on social media. In addition to the catchy songs, familial drama and incredible lifestyles, “Empire” has also tackled tough sociological and economical issues including living with HIV, data privacy, domestic violence and abuse.
“I love that we attack those issues head-on and don’t make them pretty. In life, they’re not,” Henson says. “It’s emotionally draining to have to deal with that, [but] art is definitely a healing tool. You can change lives [and] hearts through art. You can change people’s perspective and perception of different cultures. We’re doing what we’re supposed to be doing.”
In the upcoming year, Henson has high hopes. She is working on a film about Emmett Till and has a newfound love for voice-over roles following her turn in “Ralph Breaks the Internet.” On February 8th, Taraji hopes to kick off the new year with the release of “What Men Want,” a remake of the 2000 film “What Women Want.”
During breaks from her small-screen starring role, Henson has a constant workload that has shown her the complications that come from rising fame. As a strong, talented and dedicated actress she shows the great work that can be done if you stay focused and consistent. Congratulations to Taraji on her new star!
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