The Color Purple's press tour has been a nonstop marathon of Black excellence and dazzling looks, but the latest viral clip from the cast gets candid about the pay disparity Black women face in Hollywood. Taraji P. Henson, who plays Shug Avery in the acclaimed adaptation, became emotional during a SiriusXM interview when host Gayle King asked about recent rumors that Henson may quit acting, and the Oscar nominee's answer is both infuriating and heartbreaking.
As she broke down in tears, Henson—an Oscar and Emmy nominee and Golden Globe winner—explains that she is near her breaking point, as an actress who's 20-plus years into her career and still getting underpaid and less supported than her contemporaries.
"I’m just tired of working so hard, being gracious at what I do, getting paid a fraction of the cost," she said. "I’m tired of hearing my sisters say the same thing over and over. You get tired. I hear people go, ‘You work a lot.’ I have to. The math ain’t math-ing."
She went on to explain that actors only take home a fraction of the pay that's reported for each movie, after taxes are taken out and they have to pay the team that works with them personally behind the scenes. She added that, despite previously starring on hit primetime shows and Oscar-nominated films, she feels that she's back at square one with every salary negotiation.
"I’m only human and it seems every time I do something and I break another glass ceiling, when it’s time to renegotiate, I’m at the bottom again like I never did what I just did, and I’m just tired," Henson said, while wiping her tears with a tissue. "I’m tired. It wears on you. What does that mean? What is that telling me?"
In a poignant moment, her co-star Danielle Brooks added, "And what is it telling me?" pointing out how actresses like Henson set the pay standard in Hollywood.
"If I can’t fight for them coming up behind me then what the fuck am I doing?" Henson added.
The Hidden Figures and Empire star also pointed out that despite her various accomplishments, she still gets told there’s not a lot of money on the table for her projects because Black actors and stories "don’t translate overseas."
"I’m tired of hearing that my entire career. Twenty-plus years in the game and I hear the same thing. I see what you do for another production and when it’s time for us to go to bat, you don’t have any money. They play in your face, and I’m just supposed to smile and grin and bear it and just keep like—enough is enough," she concluded.
This is not the first time that Henson has spoken out about not being paid fairly in Hollywood, and how this affects her mental health. In a 2019 Variety interview, she revealed that she was initially offered $100,000 for her role in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, which earned her an Oscar nomination for best supporting actress. Henson was able to bump up the salary to $150,000, but that was far below the salary she expected as the third name on the call sheet, only behind co-stars Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett.
"I was just asking for half a million – that’s all. That’s it. When I was doing Benjamin Button, I wasn’t worth a million yet. My audience was still getting to know me. We thought we were asking for what was fair for me, at the time. I asked for half a million. That’s it," she said at the time. "And they gave me $100,000. Does that make sense? I’m number three on the call sheet. Does that make sense to you? All I was asking was $500,000 – that’s all we were asking for."
Over the past morning, countless women—from huge Hollywood stars to workers in different industries—have lauded Henson for speaking on a dynamic that affects Black women and other marginalized people in every industry. Read some of these messages below:
Not a damn lie told. Not. A. Damn. Lie. We go TO BAT for the next generation and hell even our own generation and above. We don't hesitate to be the change that we all need to see AND it takes a toll on your mind, health, soul, and career if we're keepn it 💯 ❤️ u @tarajiphenson https://t.co/Z2cXSK7ftaDecember 20, 2023
WATCH THIS. Taraji is telling the absolute TRUTH. 70-80% of GROSS income is gone off top for taxes & commissions (agents, managers, lawyers). And for those who pay other employees as well? Babyyyy! The math ain’t mathing! And I know - you’re like $10M minus $8M is still $2M… 1/? https://t.co/rRdJyPeZo8December 20, 2023
that video of taraji literally made me cry and reminded me of when viola said this pic.twitter.com/GevubJJgGpDecember 20, 2023
Taraji has been at this a LONG TIME + gotten more accolades as the years go byThe fact that shes (once again) moved to tears at the frustration over years of the lack of fair pay in this industry says SO MUCHAs a Black woman at the top of her game—what message does this send? https://t.co/lDmEtA19jcDecember 20, 2023
I hate that the Hollywood pay gap conversation still has not changed. Taraji has been talking about fighting to get adequate pay for almost 10 years. If a decorated actress is saying this continuously, I can only imagine the struggles for others. https://t.co/M4npna2BM1December 20, 2023
What Taraji expressed in that interview tracks with most Black women. We have no choice but to be gracious while being drained and having to deal with disrespect at every turn.Whew! I keep saying my tell-all is dropping when I turn 85.December 20, 2023
I hear Taraji and sadly it is not just the entertainment industry - this spans multiple industries.. chiefly corporate America is notorious for playing in our faces! We are always on the clean up team, the fix it team, the just deal with it, don't complain team, the 'you're… https://t.co/NRl2358gu1December 20, 2023
I'll never forget the performance review where I exceeded every goal & got *met expectations.* The math wasn't mathing, just like Taraji said. And that's when I realized it will NEVER be enough, they will always move the goal post and I, for one, am tired of playing that game. https://t.co/1xkeXgxwUWDecember 20, 2023
