Vanity Fair
Meet the Nominees: Taraji P. Henson
Taraji P. Henson talks to Little Gold Men about walking the Oscar's red carpet for the third time, next weekend.
Published
February 2009
Article Link:
http://www.vanityfair.com/online/oscars/2009/02/meet-the-nominees-taraji-p-henson.html
Taraji P. Henson may be a first-time Academy Award nominee, but she's no stranger to the world of Oscar. In 2005, after her breakout performance as a pregnant prostitute in the critically acclaimed Hustle & Flow, Henson joined Memphis rap group Three 6 Mafia onstage--in front of an audience of "royalty", as she puts it--to perform the film's Oscar-winning song, "It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp." She may take the stage again this year if her name appears on the best supporting actress envelope.
As Queenie, the sweet-natured surrogate mother to Brad Pitt's title character in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Henson ages dramatically from her 20's to her 70's. Her nuanced performance remains both delicate and powerful throughout, and even in the quietest scenes you can always hear her heartbeat. VF Daily caught up with the sunny California native on an unbelievably chilly New York day.