Empire star Taraji P. Henson may quit acting due to pay disparity in Hollywood

Taraji P. Henson, who received an Oscar nomination for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button in 2009, spoke candidly about the pay disparity in Hollywood. The actress, who plays Shug Avery in the new musical adaptation of The Color Purple, broke down in tears when asked why she would consider giving up acting. 

Taraji P. Henson on pay equality struggle in in film industry

In a SiriusXM interview with Gayle King, Henson broke down in tears and said she's "tired" of getting unfair payment in the industry. "I'm just tired of working so hard, being gracious at what I do (and) getting paid a fraction of the cost," said the 53-year-old actress. 

She added, “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.' Well, I have to. The math ain't math-ing. When you start working a lot, you have a team. Big bills come with what we do. We don't do this alone. It's a whole team behind us. They have to get paid.”

Henson, who stopped by the interview to promote her new movie The Color Purple, went on to elaborate, “When you hear someone go, 'Such and such made $10 million,' that didn't make it to their account. Off the top, Uncle Sam is getting 50 per cent. Now have $5 million. Your team is getting 30 per cent of what you gross, not after what Uncle Sam took. Now do the math.”

"I'm only human. Every time I do something and 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 tired," she said.

Taraji P. Henson blames racial discrimination 

Henson claimed she's been told that there's not a lot of money on the table because Black actors and stories "don't translate overseas," among other excuses. "I'm tired hearing of that my entire career," she argued. “Twenty-plus years in the game and I hear the same thing and I see what you do for another production but when it's time to go to bat for us they don't have enough money.”

"And I'm just supposed to smile and grin and bear it. Enough is enough!" the Oscar and Emmy-nominated actress said. That's why I have other (brands) because in this industry if you let it, it will steal your soul. I refuse to let that happen."

(with inputs from IANS)