Taraji P. Henson: I Didn’t Grow Up Seeing Women ‘That Looked Like Me’ On TV

Taraji P. Henson also known as Cookie Lyon stars in the latest issue of People Magazine.  In the issue Taraji talks about how excited she was choosen as the main character in Lee Daniel’s “Empire.” And she explains why she was excited for this chance. Check out what the Academy Awards nominated star had to say below.

Via: PeopleMagazine

“Growing up, it was rare for me to see a woman that looked like me that inspired me,” the actress, 44, says in the latest issue of PEOPLE. “So it was very important for me to portray Cookie. I didn’t want to [screw] it up.”

With that in mind, Henson says she took special care to craft the fierce matriarch she plays on the hit Fox series.

“She’s such a powerhouse, so I was very delicate with her,” says Henson, whose portrayal of Cookie has garnered her an Emmy nomination for outstanding leading actress in a drama. “She can be really bigger than life, so I took very good care into making her someone that people could identify with – a real person, not just a caricature who could be sassy and roll her neck.”