Taraji P. Henson isn’t known for biting her tongue, and during a recent interview with People magazine, the actress gave women some simple advice.
“Just don't take no [s—t]," Henson said after the 2016 Women In Film Crystal + Lucy Awards in Los Angeles Wednesday. “You know, know you have a voice. Know that your voice is important, and fight until it’s heard. That”s what I did.”
And she’s done it well.
From her role on The Curious Case of Benjamin Button to that of the fast-talking Cookie on Empire, Henson’s star power has risen.
Henson was honored Wednesday night at the Lucy Awards and received the Lucy Award for Excellence in Television. As diversity has become a subject in Hollywood over the last year, Henson called out the need for women to fight for equality in the workplace as well.
“We’re all we got, ladies,” Henson said. “If we don’t support each other, who will? We have a bad rap sometimes in this industry—diva, difficult, catty. When all we’re doing is, in those moments when you call us being difficult, we’re fighting for what we deserve.”
She ended by saying, “If I do a job just as well as a man, people tune in every week, they see me, they root for me just like they root for him. Why should my pay be less than his?”
Taraji’s out here dropping gems and calling out folks!