Taraji P. Henson is opening up about the struggles she faced after her breakout role in the 2001 classic Baby Boy. While the film put her on the map, it also left her nearly pigeonholed into the same type of roles over and over again.
The Oscar-nominated actress joined Keke Palmer on the latest episode of Baby, This Is Keke Palmer and revealed that Hollywood kept sending her scripts that mirrored her character Yvette — the fiery, struggling young mother caught up in a toxic relationship with Jody (played by Tyrese Gibson).
“It happened when I did Baby Boy,” Henson said. “They sent me every ‘Ghetto Baby Mama’ role and I was like, ‘I’m really classically trained, guys.’”
Taraji admitted she was determined not to let the industry box her in. She recalled being “scared” when she signed on to play Cookie Lyon in Empire, worried people would only see her as another stereotypical “loudmouth Black woman.” Instead, she worked to give the character depth and humanity, saying:
“It’s always to make real people [and] breathe life into these characters, so someone out in the world can see themselves reflected.”
The actress noted that it wasn’t until projects like Hidden Figures and Proud Mary that she was able to truly break free from the typecasting. But it didn’t come easy — she had to fight for better roles, often turning down scripts that didn’t feel authentic.
“When you’re trained in theater, you know what a script should look like,” she explained. “By page ten, if I’m not feeling something, nine times out of ten, it’s not a good script.”
Earlier this month, during an episode of Lena Waithe’s Legacy Talk, Taraji also reflected on how Baby Boy hit close to home, calling Yvette and Jody’s relationship “toxic hood love” that mirrored her own experience with the late father of her son.
Despite the early challenges, Taraji has built a career defined by versatility and power — from gritty dramas to Hollywood blockbusters — proving she’s far more than just one role.
