Taraji P. Henson got all sorts of emotional today during an appearance on ‘The Talk.’
Currently on the press run for ‘The Color Purple,’ the Golden Globe Award winner has been making headlines for her candid articulation of the pay disparity and broader hurdles she continues to face as a Black actress.
In return, the 53-year-old has received an outpouring of support.
The latter of which is why had her teary-eyed on the CBS show.
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Henson was greeted with a standing ovation and immediately became emotional.
She said: “I’m receiving it. I wasn’t expecting that.”
During the appearance, co-host Sheryl Underwood thanked Henson for opening up the dialogue:
“We’ve both talked about pay disparity…I appreciate you and I thank you for using your platform. So, I just want to give you your flowers right now.”
Henson expanded on her rationale for speaking up and praised Oprah Winfrey (who executive produced ‘The Color Purple’) for being a beacon of support:
“I don’t speak just for Black women; I speak for women of color…that’s why it’s important to have women of color, and diversity in companies. Because if it were not for Oprah Winfrey producing this film, I don’t know if I would have been seen or heard. That’s what producers do, she actually called me and was like, ‘If there’s anything I can do, you just let me know’…I was nervous, because it is Oprah, and…I told her, she fixed it, everything the next day.”
‘The Color Purple’ is playing in US theaters now and expands to international markets such as the UK from January 26.