“ It was making me blistering , and I ’m not a bitter somebody . I made a promise to myself that if I ever got there , it ’s clip to walk forth , ” said Taraji , who recalled spending year “ getting paid less than . ”
Back in 2023,Taraji P. Hensonmemorably broke down in tears as she opened up aboutconstantly fighting for equal payin Hollywood.
“I’m just tired of working so hard, being gracious at what I do, [and] getting paid a fraction of the cost,” she said as she opened up about her treatment inHollywood as a Black woman. “I’m tired of hearing my sisters say the same thing over and over. You get tired.”
“ I ’m only human . Every time I do something and break another glass ceiling , when it ’s time to renegociate , I ’m at the bottom again like I never did what I just did , and I ’m tired , ” theEmpirestar afterwards summate . “ I ’m old-hat . It wears on you . What does that mean ? What is that telling me ? If I ca n’t struggle for them add up up behind me , then what the fucking am I doing ? ”
Fast-forward to today, and Taraji has opened up about the subject again during arecent talkat the Kering Women in Motion event atCannes.
After revealing that she recently took a month off of acting and relocated to Bali, Taraji recalled feeling “discouraged” by her treatment in Hollywood. “I was just frustrated and it was making me bitter, and I’m not a bitter person,” she said, perVariety. “I made a promise to myself that if I ever got there, it’s time to walk away. I’m not serving myself or the audience or the characters I play. Thank God I did that. I came back refreshed and with a new perspective.”
Taraji went on to note that she’d spent years being “graceful in getting paid less than.” “Not anymore though!” she said, adding that when she returned from Bali, she focused on non-acting ventures — like her hair care brand, TPH — instead of “relying on that check from Hollywood.”
“ I urge you all to talk up for yourself , ” Taraji told attender of the consequence . “ I have worked my seat off to garner the following I have . My following ride for me . That ’s an hearing I procured through my hard body of work and the character I play . I have it away a studio apartment , when they call on me , they are calling on me because they lie with all these people are move to derive and show up . That ’s my power . You need me because you call for my following . Thank you , social media . Once I figure that out , I just started speaking up for myself . ”
Good for you, Taraji! You can catch her in the upcoming Netflix drama filmStraw, which comes out on June 6.
