Taraji Henson Could Have Been ‘Precious’, Builds An ‘Empire’

Actress Taraji P. Henson revealed in a recent interview that she once auditioned for the role of Precious in the movie of the same name. She admitted, though, that director Lee Daniels did not see her as the title role — a part that went to Gabourey Sidibe.

Of course, things ultimately worked out for the Empire star — she said recently that at first, when she was asked by Daniels if she wanted to try out for the role of Cookie, she told him no. However, she realized that the role of Cookie was one that resonated deeply within her, and auditioned with Daniels through Skype. She also pushed for actor Terrence Howard, with whom she worked on Hustle and Flow, to take on the role of Lucious Lyon, Cookie’s ex.

Taraji Henson noted that the role of Cookie was a definite challenge in an Instagram post.

#Repost @wmag “Cookie is bold and crazy, and she loves the struggle. She started from nothing, and… https://t.co/PvqNxAHpXL

— Taraji P. Henson (@tarajiphenson) June 23, 2015

Taraji Henson also noted that she was not disappointed in having lost the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for the role of Queenie in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. She was not offered more feature film roles following the 2008 hit, but it appears as though Empire has more than made up for that. Recently, in fact, she has received multiple rave reviews for her work in the show, which included the controversial but highly-rated homophobia storyline which saw Lucious kick his son out of the house for being gay.

However, Taraji Henson said she loved the challenges that come with playing a role like the one she has in Empire. “To me, Cookie is living, breathing, walking truth,” she said in an interview. “Not only would I never be offered a character like Cookie in a movie, but she doesn’t exist.”

What is clear is that Taraji Henson has embraced the challenging roles that appear to have defined her career. Empire was initially conceived by Danny Strong as a movie, yet director Daniels saw it as a television show. Sometimes, the move from movies to television can be considered a risky one for directors and stars alike — in the case of Empire and Taraji Henson, however, the show has become one of the most critically acclaimed hits of the season. Taraji Henson continues to draw rave reviews for her portrayal of the fiery Cookie Lyon and has successfully proven that she is an actor that is willing to tackle a range of roles with unparalleled enthusiasm and passion.