IN CONVERSATION WITH TARAJI P. HENDERSON

interview by TIMOTEJ LETONJA and JANA LETONJA

Academy Award–nominated actor, producer, bestselling author, entrepreneur and mental-health advocate TARAJI P. HENSON has spent more than two decades building a career defined by unforgettable performances and, increasingly, by creating opportunities beyond the screen. Following the global success of Straw (2025), her Broadway debut in AUGUST WILSON’s Joe Turner’s Come and Gone (2026) and the continued expansion of her production company TPH ENTERTAINMENT, she is entering one of the most ambitious chapters of her career yet.

You made your Broadway debut this year in Joe Turner’s Come and Gone. After everything you’ve accomplished on screen, what did stepping onto a Broadway stage for the first time awaken in you as a performer?
It exercised a muscle that I hadn’t exercised since college. I studied theatre, that’s how I fell in love with acting. I started on the stage. When it came time to choose my career, I was already a single mother at 24, and Broadway and theatre just didn’t sound like they paid enough for me to take care of myself and my kid. So I moved west and pursued TV and film. 

And now, Broadway is a welcome home for me. What was so exciting was seeing the effect you have on people when they travel to see you. There were busloads of people coming from all over to see this play. It made me feel good. It made me pat myself on the back for the hard work I’ve been putting in.

full look LOUIS VUITTON
ring and earrings CARTIER

There’s nowhere to hide in theatre, no second take, no editing. Did Broadway change your relationship with fear or your confidence as an actor?
No. It’s just a different muscle that you have to work. The beautiful thing about theatre is that you live the story from beginning to end every night. Every show is going to be different because the audience is different.

DEBBIE ALLEN would say every night before we went on, “Same river, different water.” You have to be present and in the moment. You must also have discipline, because you need the energy for that two-hour, 45-minute show and to be completely present for a live audience.

Theatre is alive because you’re exchanging energy with the audience. And I’m the type of performer who has a SASHA FIERCE in me. That’s why I understood exactly what BEYONCÉ meant. When I hit that stage or that lens is on me, something comes alive. I have a switch.

full look LORO PIANA
shoes AGL
necklace, earrings and rings BOUCHERON

Your performance in Straw asked you to go to some incredibly vulnerable and emotionally exhausting places. When you’re playing someone carrying that much pain, how do you leave that behind at the end of the day?
I think a lot of it has to do with being a mother when I started in the industry. I would go to work, but when I crossed that threshold at home, I had a son whose life became more important than mine. He had to eat. He had homework. Maybe I had a PTA meeting or a basketball game. He didn’t understand Hollywood. All he knew was I’m Mom.

I think that developed a switch in my instrument that I can turn on and off. All those scenes you saw in Straw, when “Cut” was yelled, I was off in the corner making the crew laugh. I cannot carry everything. I have too much in my own life to also carry a character I’m portraying. There has to be a line or a switch. That’s my job as an actor. Your instrument should be ready. When they yell “Action,” my job is to give you exactly what you’re looking for.

full look HILA’
earrings and ring BOUCHERON

You’ve reunited with TYLER PERRY for Why Did I Get Married Again? (2026). What was it like to enter that world and join such a beloved franchise?
Oh my goodness. I was so nervous because no one can fill JANET JACKSON’s shoes. I wasn’t trying to at all. But with her scheduling conflicts, they needed a role on that level. Tyler called and asked if I would be interested, and I was like, “Are you kidding?”

I was so grateful for the cast. They were warm and inviting. That ensemble has been around, and they’re beloved by the audience. I didn’t want to disrupt that because I’m also a fan of the franchise. I thought Tyler did a good job introducing my character. Every friend group has that one friend who’s off living their life and misses the gatherings. So I think the audience was receptive to her because it made sense.

dress SAIID KOBEISY
necklace, earrings and ring CHOPARD

You also have Give Me Some Sugah, directed by TASHA SMITH, coming out in December. At this point in your career, what makes you say yes to a role? Is it the character, the filmmaker, the challenge or simply an instinct?
For me, it’s instinct. Sometimes I’ll do a project because I really want to work with that director, and it may not be the starring role. A lot of times, if something scares me, that’s how I’ll pick it. Playing someone who is real and still alive — telling a real story — is a huge responsibility. I fell in love with this story because it’s real. I saw the news clippings, and it stole my heart.

Your production company, TPH Entertainment, has major partnerships with NETFLIX, FOX and LIFETIME. Now that you have the ability to put films on screen, what kinds of stories do you feel aren’t being told enough?
I like stories about real people, people who will inspire those who work nine to five. I want to  discover a hidden figure or inspire the regular person to make their dreams come true.

We’re producing a DARLENE LOVE documentary, I Know Where I’ve Been. This woman has one of the most recognisable voices in rock and roll history, but no one knows who she is. BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN and others made sure she got her recognition. I produced the documentary, and I’m very proud of it because I’m exposing a hidden figure. 

Everybody should know who Darlene Love is. She sang backup for some of the biggest stars, but she never had her break because she was done wrong by bad contracts. I believe in God deeply, and this woman knows God deeply. She never questioned God. You know how they say, “Don’t give up”? God’s timing is perfect. This woman is 85, and her voice is going to blow your head back. She’s amazing.

At the screening, they asked her painful questions, and she would throw her head back and laugh. I looked over and said, “Darlene, how in the world were you able to laugh at those questions?” Because I would’ve been on the floor. They would’ve had to pick me up. Her father was a preacher, and she said, “My father always told me, you laugh at the devil first before he can get up in the corner and laugh at you.”

How different is your mindset when you’re responsible not only for your own performance but for helping shape the entire project?
I’m very hands-on. There’s another project I have coming up and I need to do chemistry reads with everybody. You’re not going to hire someone and later meet them on set. The story is riding on the relationship between this woman and this little girl. I have to be able to connect with her. Otherwise, we don’t have a movie.

I know I have an eye and an instinct. Once I’m in, I’m in. Once I’m pregnant with the project and become passionate, I see it. I know exactly what it is.

full look VERSACE
necklace and earrings POMELLATO

You’ve spoken about knowing your worth throughout your career. Now that you’re building your own company and creating opportunities for others, has your definition of “knowing your worth” changed?
No, my worth is just growing. That’s all I’ve got to say about that.

Between acting, producing, writing, TPH Entertainment, your beauty business — TPH BY TARAJI — and other partnerships, you’ve become an entrepreneur in a very real sense. What have you learned about business that Hollywood never taught you?
It’s all about your team. My business manager told me, “You keep turning your team until you’ve got a powerhouse.” I didn’t learn that until later. If I knew then what I know now, I would’ve turned my team 20 years ago. 

Talent is great. Talent will keep you there. But there are so many talented people who don’t have a team getting them into the right rooms.

cape THE FRANKIE SHOP
shoes ELISABETTA FRANCHI
necklace, ring and bracelet CARTIER

You founded the BORIS LAWRENCE HENSON FOUNDATION in 2018, long before conversations around mental health became as visible as they are today. Have you seen a meaningful shift in how Black communities talk about mental health since you started this work?
First of all, thank you for giving me the recognition and my due. It felt like no one was talking about mental health and mental wealth, and launching the foundation helped to get the conversation going publicly.

I started that foundation out of necessity. I don’t attach my name to things because “Oh, here’s a check” or “This will make me look important.” Usually, when I start something, it comes from something that I need. Then I think about the people who look like me who don’t have access. I’m blessed to be able to pay $350 per therapy session for me and my son. What about a whole community that not only can’t afford it but hasn’t even talked about it? 

First, let us talk about it. How do I get the community to talk about it? I’ll start a foundation. That’s how it started. I started it with the help of my best friend, TRACIE JADE JENKINS, who runs it, and my little sister, who was already working for a rehabilitation centre. We named it after our dad.

full look ELISABETTA FRANCHI
earrings POMELLATO

Outside of work and business, what keeps you fulfilled and recharged, and what role does being in nature have in your life?
I wish you could see my house. I live in nature. I have hummingbirds, butterflies, bees, little geckos and coyotes. I let them live. 

I live in the canyon, and I love it. I like to go outside and ground myself. I have two Frenchies. I love to take walks. I have the most amazing sunrise and sunset views from my house, and every day, it makes me grateful.

Every day, nature reminds me that there is a God. Look at what we’re doing to the Earth. Women would rather be in the forest with a bear than a man. That should tell you about nature.

TEAM CREDITS:

talent TARAJI P. HENSON

photography TYLER PATRICK KENYY at TMG LA

styling ORETTA CORBELLI

makeup SAISHA BEECHAM

hair TYM WALLACE at MASTERMIND MANAGEMENT

producer PAOLO RICARTTI

styling assistance ALLEGRA GARGIULO

fashion film and soundtrack ANDREY FRAZÃO

mix and mastering Elzym

casting and interview TIMI LETONJA and JANA LETONJA

editor TIMI LETONJA

cover design ARTHUR ROELOFFZEN

location VISION STUDIO LA