There’s an inordinate amount of struggling actors and actresses desperately looking for their shots at Hollywood fame — the sad fact remains that 99.9% of them won’t make it.
Taraji P. Henson made it. Her notable performances can be seen in such films as “Hustle and Flow,” “Hidden Figures” and she currently co-stars in “The Color Purple.” Her net worth currently rests at $12 million. But she’s still complaining.
In an interview with Gayle King, a visibly emotional Henson complained about pay disparity in the industry and how she’s contemplating quitting acting because of it. She’s saying it’s tough out there for a black female actress, and she’s had enough of it.
The Oscar nominated actress began tearing up as she got more candid with King ..
I’m just tired of working so hard, being gracious at what I do, being paid a fraction of the cost. I’m tired of hearing my sisters say the same thing over and over. You get tired.
Henson would go on to complain how she has to pay her agent, manager, personal employees ... There’s nothing that’s less appealing than millionaires complaining about money.
In an interview published earlier this month, Henson tackled the same topic, telling THR that she’d been “fighting tooth and nail every project” for adequate pay, adding, as an example, that she only got $150,000 for her 2008 role in Fincher’s ‘Benjamin Button.’
“Listen, I’ve been doing this for two decades and sometimes I get tired of fighting because I know what I do is bigger than me. I know that the legacy I leave will affect somebody coming up behind me,” she told the outlet, before going on to reference other Black female actors.
Here’s a slice of reality I need to inject into Henson’s narrative. Fact: mention her name to any semi-regular moviegoer, and they, in all likelihood, would not know who she is. Nobody is going to see a movie because her name is on the poster. She isn’t a draw. Don't blame the studios or sexism or racism, instead blame audiences.
Henson is worth $12M, and most Americans cannot regularly put food on the table. No matter how hard the media tries to go to bat for her, I doubt she’ll be getting any sympathy from 9-5 working people who have to pay their monthly bills and take care of their families.
If I were a betting man, I’d lay down all my chips on Henson not quitting acting. What is she going to do otherwise? Work at a fast food joint? Acting in A-list, or even B-list, movies, like she does, brings in much more money than most other jobs. Sometimes you just have to be grateful for what you have, and she has plenty.