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Taraji P. Henson’s “Around the Way Girl: A Memoir”
“You’re just one role away.”
The title of Taraji P. Henson’s memoir is fitting because of the hustle required to move from DC to Hollywood in pursuit of acting.
Her narration of the memoir grabs your attention from the beginning to the end.
It was clear from her early life that she was destined for stardom, despite the adversity that she would face.
She details the Black complexities of womanhood on and off-screen.
Society has a way of hardening Black people, but the stage is where Taraji P. Henson would first breathe life into the characters she played before graduating from Howard University with an education in theater.
She owned who she was, and that was translated into her on-screen roles.
What women in Hollywood who have broken barriers do you celebrate?
Director Tyler Perry gave Taraji P. Henson, a starring role in the 2009 movie “I Can Do Bad All by Myself.”
Tyler Perry gave her a fair wage to star in his movie, which ultimately raised her quote—the baseline pay she could negotiate going into subsequent movie deals.
