Tyler Perry’s latest film, Straw, has been available on Netflix for a week and it’s killing it when it comes to audience numbers.
In fact, according to The Wrap, it gave Netflix its first number one since February on the Samba TV Weekly Wrap Report. The film has had mixed reviews based on the storyline, which involves Janiyah, a struggling mother played by Taraji P. Henson, who navigates a series of unfortunate events, leading her down an unforeseen path where she becomes embroiled in a situation she never envisioned, finding herself at the center of suspicion in an indifferent world. Perry’s films have been known to be a bit polarizing, and we understand why; however, they often convey a message, whether you want to acknowledge it or not.
Henson is a powerhouse, consistently delivering nuanced performances, regardless of the character she portrays. And her performance as Janiyah is heartbreaking and painful to watch. She is a woman on the brink, and the twist is a gut punch that we as the audience felt as strongly as she delivered it. Straw is an incredibly emotional film, and it reminded me of how underrated Taraji P. Henson is.
Over the years, Henson has received multiple nominations, including an Oscar nomination in 2009 for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role for her role in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. She’s nabbed several awards as well, including a SAG award in 2017 for her performance in Hidden Figures. She’s a powerhouse of an actress, and I feel she deserves every bit of the accolades she’s received. Henson has starred in numerous films, but we’ve decided to compile our top five.
In no particular order, here are our top five films starring Taraji P. Henson.
Hustle & Flow
What It’s About: With help from his friends, a Memphis pimp in a mid-life crisis attempts to become a successful hip-hop emcee.
Why We Love It: Though Henson’s role as Shug was a supporting one in the film, she still managed to make an impact. The role showcased Henson’s vulnerability, and her character was the one who brought out the heart of Djay (Terrence Howard). Not just with her being his ride or die support system, but by keeping him and everyone else at home going when they wanted to give up.
Proud Mary
What It’s About: Mary is a hit woman working for an organized crime family in Boston, whose life is completely turned around when she meets a young boy whose path she crosses when a professional hit goes bad.
Why We Love It: We already know Henson can be a nurturing support system, but her role as Mary in Proud Mary showed that she can also be a baddie who takes charge and gets things done. Her role in this movie is action-packed and reminds us that she can take on all genres.
No Good Deed
What It’s About: An unstable escaped convict terrorizes a woman who is alone with her two children.
Why We Love It: Yet another film that shows us how much range Henson has. No Good Deed is not only a psychological thriller film, but it’s also a film about survival and the lengths a mother will go to protect their child. And can we say, who wouldn’t want to watch Henson take on Idris Elba?
Hidden Figures
What It’s About: Three female African-American mathematicians play a pivotal role in astronaut John Glenn’s launch into orbit while dealing with racial and gender discrimination.
Why We Love It: In Hidden Figures, a true story, Henson starred as Katherine G. Johnson, a member of NASA’s Space Task Group. She calculated the flight path for the spacecraft that put the first U.S astronaut in space in 1961. This film didn’t just teach us a history lesson about Black women we were unfamiliar with; it gave us a glimpse into the range Henson has. Playing a character based on a real person, especially one who accomplished something so important, is no easy feat. Henson did a fantastic job of it.
The Color Purple
What It’s About: A woman faces many hardships in her life but ultimately finds extraordinary strength and hope in the unbreakable bonds of sisterhood.
Why We Love It: Henson’s role as the iconic Shug Avery in the adaptation of Alice Walker’s book showed us that not only can Henson act, but she can also sing. If you watched her in Hustle & Flow, then you know we got a small glimpse of that. But with The Color Purple being done as a musical, we got to hear even more, and we were blown away.
