Taraji P. Henson might be most well-known today as playing the no-holds-barred Cookie on the hit television series "Empire," but she's also led an illustrious film career, even earning an Academy Award nomination. With her latest work "The Best of Enemies" being released, I decided to look at my five personal favorite Taraji P. Henson films.
**THERE WILL BE NO SPOILERS**
#5
No Good Deed
Idris Elba is known for pretty much playing a good guy, but in "No Good Deed," he plays a killer who stalks Taraji P. Henson's character and her young daughter after she helps him after his truck (which he stole) crashes. Here, Henson plays to both her strengths - drama and action - as she plays the doting loving mother, and also the no-holds-barred fierce femme fatale who exhibits incredible athletic prowess.
#4
Hustle & Flow
The film that brought together Taraji P. Henson and her future "Empire" co-star Terrence Howard was "Hustle & Flow," a film about a pimp (Howard) who decides to turn his life around and became a rap artist. Henson plays a prostitute who becomes pregnant by Howard's character, and the two fall in love and share beautiful music together.
#3
I Can Do Bad All By Myself
Tyler Perry's Madea movies are generally known for crowd-pleasing comedy, but "I Can Do Bad All By Myself" is a rare dramatic film that has Perry's Madea as a side character in a story involving Henson's character, who's a look-out-for-myself woman that's not allowed anyone in. When she's tasked with taking care of her sister's children, she doesn't think she can do it - and slowly learns how to love and let others in. Featuring songs by Mary J. Blige and and Gladys Knight, the film is a stellar showcase of Henson's dramatic strength.
#2
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Based off the short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald, "Benjamin Button" centers around Brad Pitt's character, who begins life as an old man and ages backwards. Henson plays Queenie, who is tasked with taking care of the elderly infant after his father abandons him, and she sticks with him as the world seemingly turns its back on him. The film earned several Academy Award nominations, including one for Taraji P. Henson for Best Supporting Actress.
#1
Hidden Figures
During the highly segregated time of the 1960s, three African American women silently changed the course of the future. Taraji P. Henson plays real-life mathematician Katherine Johnson, who, despite being African American, was brought on by NASA to help get John Glenn into orbit before the Russians. Using her superior intellect, she managed to find the calculations to get Glenn into space and back safely, making history as she did so. Co-starring Octavia Spencer and Janelle Monae as Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson, "Hidden Figures" managed to tell the untold story of three fierce, intellectual African American women who defied expectations and changed the course of space travel forever.
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