Actors on Actors: Jeffrey Wright and Taraji P. Henson

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Actors Jeffrey Wright (American Fiction) and Taraji P. Henson (The Color Purple) talk for Variety's Actors on Actors series.

- They discuss growing up in DC, and the way that shaped their work. Taraji says DC gives you a tough skin, and mentions that it's more of a Southern town than people think. They also talk about their educational histories.
- Jeffrey talks about being considered a dramatic actor but loving comedy and finding it wherever he can, from his Wes Anderson roles to dramatic plays.


- Taraji talks about starting out doing sitcom roles because of the regular schedule that allowed her to raise her child, but then starring in Baby Boy and ending up doing more dramatic roles. She thinks comedic actors make the best dramatic actors.
- Jeffrey talks about loving American Fiction because it has comedic elements, and addresses the commodification of stereotypes about Black people, but is at its heart a story about a Black family.
- Taraji talks about feeling safe with the women of The Color Purple.
- Jeffrey talks about choosing roles, including Basquiat, and how some roles feel fated - he learned about that role the day he gave his notice for the Broadway production of Angels in America.
- Taraji talked about getting The Color Purple - first, saying no to the role on Broadway because she didn't feel like she had the skill and endurance for a Broadway role like that, but then accepting the film role despite its challenges. Can sing when she has to, but does not use that instrument every day, and considers it much more challenging than acting. Does not consider "It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp" to be singing, because anybody can sing one line and have it looped.
- American Fiction is an exploration of the idea that "just like you, we are not a monolith". Jeffrey talks about the complexity of race and identity and the history of those things in America, and how people have tried to create well-intentioned solutions that miss the mark. Also talks about young black men internalizing the negative perceptions about them.
- Taraji talks about a focus of films on "the hood" as she was coming up, and how people judging her character in Baby Boy felt like people passing judgment on her, a woman who also had a child out of wedlock.

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