When life imitates art, playing a role can stir up echoes of the past — a lesson Taraji P. Henson revisited in her latest film.
Henson, a Washington, D.C. native and a proud Howard University graduate, recently portrayed Janiyah, a struggling single mother in Tyler Perry’s new film “Straw.” It’s a narrative Henson knows intimately, having been a single mother herself — a connection she spoke candidly about during a Wednesday episode of “The View.”
“She’s a single mother. She can’t get ahead to save her life — and I’ve been in that situation before,” Henson said. “But the difference between me is that I had an incredible support group.”
The “Empire” actor went on to reflect more on her own journey, crediting the presence of a strong “family” and “great sister circle” that helped lighten her load. The character of Janiyah, by contrast, is isolated — and Henson acknowledged that too many women live in that reality every day.
“I want them to feel seen,” she said.
