- Taraji P. Henson said she wasn't originally considered to star in "The Color Purple."
- The star "broke down" when the director Blitz Bazawule discussed the situation during a live Q&A.
Taraji P. Henson said on a recent podcast episode that she cried when she learned she wasn't initially considered for a role in the version of "The Color Purple" released in December.
The director Blitz Bazawule's musical is the second film adaptation of Alice Walker's 1982 book of the same name, following Steven Spielberg's 1985 adaptation.
Henson plays Shug Avery, a showgirl who forms a close relationship with Celie Harris-Johnson (Fantasia Barrino).
Appearing on the latest episode of "Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard," Henson said she found out from Bazawule that she wasn't on the studio's wish list for the movie.
"He had me ugly-face crying at a Q&A when we were in New York because he was like, 'This was my ideal cast, and every time I would show up to the studio, these names were never on the list,'" she said.
"'I would pitch them, each and every last one of them, as these characters — never on the list,'" Henson recalled Bazawule saying.
The "Empire" and "Hidden Figures" star said the news hurt her because she felt she had accrued enough acting credits to be considered for a role.
"And I just broke down because I've been doing this forever, you know? And it's like, bitch, I'm still not on the list?" Henson said. "What do I have to do, people? I have played a character like Celie before, Shug in 'Hustle & Flow.' I made Cookie iconic."
The actor spoke about pay inequity in Hollywood last month in an interview with Gayle King, tearfully saying that she's tired of working hard for little reward.
Henson touched on the subject again on "Armchair Expert," saying that she's determined to change things in the industry.
"But I'm going to change the narrative because I do believe what you profess is what you will possess," Henson said. "So if I keep saying things are hard, things are going to be hard. We already know that."
She added: "We know the inequities that are happening in life. We know it. So why do we have to keep harping on it? Hollywood, you're going to pay me my worth. It's time. I've done it all. Come on."