Taraji Penda Henson is a force of
nature in the entertainment, film, and television industry this woman is truly
at the peak of her game right now. Television show Empire is coming back for
their fourth season on Fox television this fall on September 28th,
Hidden Figures nominated received multiple awards Screen Actors Guild Awards,
Golden Globe Awards, NAACP Image Awards for 2017, first African American woman
to receive a critic’s choice award, and BET Award this year which she has received six awards out of 9 nominations.
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Proud Mary film starring "Taraji P. Henson" due January 2018  |
I finished Taraji’s book, “Around
the way girl” this spring 2017 and it gave me a whole new perspective,
appreciation for my own life, my dreams, you cannot take your dreams lightly,
keep pushing, pursuing, and believing they will come true too. Her book was
real, relatable, honest, and loved the message about just owning who you are as
a woman, embracing yourself, your journey, story, remaining humble, and giving
it all that you have too.
She has incredible stamina, drive,
and pushes until doors will be made open. She has a way of telling a story
through a character that any human being can relate to as well. It’s something
that’s a gift. You don’t just
learn that you are born with it. When you can create a character that is so far
removed from yourself and bring it to the screen that’s a true gift.
Taraji’s next role will be Mary an
African American assassin in a film about becoming very close to a young boy. I
saw the trailer with her dressing up in thigh high knee stiletto leather boots,
all leather outfit, and putting on red lipstick. She steps into a Maybach black
four door car and that’s when I knew she has arrived. Finally this generation
gets to see a powerful African American woman raise a little hell for once and
kick some behind. She can not only do it with her mind but also do it in heels
and still maintaining her femininity. It’s incredible we need more female roles
where women aren’t catering to everyone in the film. Some of you know what I
mean not being the mother, the grandmother, the maid, the secretary, all of
those roles are wonderful and amazing in real life. However in the film
industry for African American women we need a variety and change. It’s amazing
to see more females are now able to showcase themselves in roles like a doctor,
a political strategist (like Olivia Pope), a lawyer, a comedienne, or a
dentist. It’s time for women of all colors and backgrounds to have some roles
where we can get back to saying “Yes I am a female but I can do it all baby…and
kick butt in heels” literally .
Some of you know as a kid dreamed and I wanted to be a
triple threat: singer, dancer, and actress. As a kid I always wanted to be in a
movie where I could play someone similar to this being like a detective in all
leather like a female “Shaft”, “Foxy Brown”, but you get to save someone too. I actually used to dress up in my mom’s
clothes as a little girl pretending to be some kind of detective. So to see a
woman come out with a film where she gets to be an assassin and it’s role of
empowerment. It’s a dream come true for to see in the 21st century.
In Taraji’s case she’s saving a
little boy but also able to give people a little hope too. Back to my point
about the fact that we need more screenwriters to show the complexity of women,
how we struggle with different things on a daily basis, and bring a piece of
that reality to television and film. In Taraji’s case she has done and
surpassed that with her roles.
“Loretha “Cookie” Lyon” may not be a real person but there are pieces of
her that any woman can relate to on screen, her compassion for people, her
toughness with her sons, her undying love for Lucious, her sons, and her family, her drive to keep “The
Empire” afloat too. Taraji’s roles
have a way now of showing Hollywood, the entertainment industries, film
industries and across the globe. I can show you what a woman can really do on
and off screen. I believe Proud
Mary will do the same in January 2018.
Proud Mary stars Taraji P Henson, the legendary Danny Glover,
(Dreamgirls, Almost Christmas, Lethal Weapon franchise, Beyond the Lights,
Dirty Grandpa, the Color Purple).
Neal McDonough (Flags of our fathers, Minority Report, Captain America,
First Contact), and introducing
Jahi D’Allo Winston who has starred on “Feed the Beast”, “The New
Edition Story”, and will play “Danny” in Proud Mary.
I hope all of you will go support
and see the film as she transforms to Cookie into a hitwoman how diabolical and
transformative of you Taraji go girl! For more information on the film follow
Proud Mary on your social media websites and stay tuned it arrives January
2018. For more information for the fourth season of Empire on Fox television network visit http://www.fox.com
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