Taraji P. Henson Reveals She Was Offered $75K After Initially Requesting $500K For A Role That Later Earned Her An Oscar Nomination

Directed by Blitz Bazawule, “The Color Purple” will be released in theaters on Dec. 25. Among the star-studded cast is Taraji P. Henson, who plays Shug Avery.

During the musical’s press run, the actress and entrepreneur took a look back at her stellar career in a CBS Sunday Morning interview.

Following her breakout role in “Baby Boy,” Henson starred in the Academy Award-acclaimed “Hustle & Flow” in 2005, which made her name buzz across Hollywood.

Wanting to leverage her newfound stardom at the time, Henson set what she believed was a fair payout for her to star in “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” released in 2008.

For the film, in which she starred alongside Brad Pitt, Henson asked for $500,000.

“I wasn’t even being greedy,” Henson shared on CBS Sunday Morning. “I knew that I was up and coming, but surely I know that I can make you $500,000 with my fanbase.”

Not only did Henson not receive what she asked for, she was hit back with a lowball offer.

“I was offered [$75,000],” she revealed. “And then, we fought and fought until we got [$150,000].”

While Henson didn’t walk away with her request for $500,000, her portrayal as Queenie in “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” earned her an Oscar nomination for “Best Supporting Actress.” The role led to numerous starring roles in big Hollywood movies and TV shows such as “Hidden Figures,” “Empire,” and now, “The Color Purple.”

Although Henson has held down an impressive career for over two decades, AFROTECH has shared her accounts of having to negotiate and fight for proper compensation.

“After ‘Empire,’ see ’cause it was proving my worth,” Henson explained to Variety in 2019. “I think the industry knew I was talented. They got that part, but it’s about money. It’s about — are you bankable? Can you open a film? Will I get what I put in this film back, you know? So, I had to continuously prove that. And it’s like I’ve just been trying to prove it and prove it. That’s why I work so hard.”

What’s more, Henson credits Tyler Perry for being the first industry leader to pay her what she was worth.

“I was asking for half a million,” said Henson. “I didn’t get paid that until I did my first Tyler Perry film. He was the first person that gave — that broke the standard that I was getting paid for films, and he gave me $500,000.”

Henson has starred in Tyler Perry’s films including “The Family That Preys,” “I Can Do Bad All by Myself,” and “Acrimony.”