(WSVN) - Taraji P. Henson is a great actor playing a sassy character. And she’s got a little of that in real life, too. But now Taraji’s showing off a different talent … writing.
Taraji P. Henson (as Cookie): “Jamal was right, you are a vampire.”
Terrence Howard (as Lucious Lyon): “Then why don’t you let me suck on some of your blood.
Taraji P. Henson (as Cookie): “Drop dead Lucious.”
Actress Taraji P. Henson is blowing up big time with her starring role as Cookie on “Empire.”
Taraji P. Henson (as Cookie): “Angelo, you’re not better than me. I’m not ashamed of who I am, and I am not ashamed of where I come from.”
While playing Cookie, Henson has won a Golden Globe, an Emmy and a BET Award — all for best actress in a TV series.
Now, she’s adding author to her resume.
Taraji P. Henson: “The fans asked for this book. They would say, your story is so powerful and so inspirational, you should write a book. So, basically the fans ordered this book!”
Henson’s book is called: “Around the Way Girl: A Memoir.” It’s a memoir about her life.
She wrote it to…
Taraji P. Henson: “Help people — that’s all. I want to do is inspire little girls growing up, even little boys. It doesn’t matter where you start, people only care about where you finish.”
In the meantime, the plot thickens on “Empire” as Cookie rejects her longtime love, Lucious, and starts a new relationship with Angelo, a politician played by Taye Diggs.
Taraji P. Henson: “She’s warming up. He’s the polar opposite of Lucious. And I think what’s interesting this season, is with all the flashbacks, you will get to see how that relationship started.”
In fact, Henson says even she’s surprised by their history.
Taraji P. Henson: “What I found interesting about Cookie, that I didn’t even know about Cookie, is that she’s not from the same side of the tracks that Lucious is. She was actually from a middle-class family. She just ventured to the other side of the tracks and fell in love with a bad boy.”
This season, the center of the show remains around the Lyon family.
Taraji P. Henson: “What you pay attention to is the family and what they are going through, and you’ll see it’s the battle of light and dark. You’ll see some family members moving toward the dark side and some trying to find the light. Everyday life struggles.”
While family remains the focus, Henson says, this season is bigger and better when it comes to the music.
Taraji P. Henson: “The music has just been amazing. I mean, hit after hit after hit. We’ve added new voices to the show.”
The drama. The sexual tension. The sick beats… they’re all here on 7 at 8 p.m.
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