Empire strikes back

The lead
actors
of the latest
music drama
get talking

TARAJI P Henson and Terrence
Howard’s sizzling chemistry is
undeniable on the latest hit drama
Empire. Now we know why Henson
said she would only do the role if
Howard was cast as the lead. This is
no straightforward family show.
Howard plays a reformed drug
dealer turned music moghul,
Lucious Lyon. As an artiste and
CEO of Empire Entertainment,
Lyon is at the top of the ladder, but
when he is diagnosed with a medical
disorder, he must pick one of
his three sons —Hakeem, Jamal
and Andre—to take over from
him. Then comes Henson as the
sassy wife Cookie, who was only
recently released from jail.
‘‘Expect to have your wig twisted
back with the show. It is a multifaceted,
multidimensional
show that talks about lifechanging
moments or everyday
events that happen in most people’s
lives,’’ begins Howard, adding that
on screen they deal with things
without apology. ‘‘Plus, a lot of
incredible music, high fashion,
and oh, great one-liners coming
from Cookie,’’ quips Henson, who
Howard says delivers her punchline
brilliantly, and will take a script
from ‘zero to 100’.
While both actors are best known
for their film roles – Howard was
last seen in the comedy St Vincent
and Henson was in the thriller No
Good Deed – they say the transition
to television wasn’t too difficult
since they use the same cameras
for both formats. ‘‘But you don’t get
too much time on television. It is a
bit rushed and you need to cram
eight pages a day instead of perhaps
one a day in film,’’ explains
Henson, elaborating that with a
good script such as Empire, it feels
like a feature film.
Saying it was a no-brainer to
take on the show, Henson says that
the script read like a feature film,
and the name Lee Daniels sealed
the deal. ‘‘It had the smell of a perfect
storm, if you will. The studio
was behind it, the script was amazing,
the director, line-up was
incredible. We’re witnessing the
perfect storm,’’ she says, and
Howard agrees. ‘‘All the people
have been part of many great projects.
But me having Taraji—to be
able to dance with my friend again.
That was great. Some of the songs
should be number one songs on the
radio—that’s how good the music
is. We will shake you up,’’ he concludes.
Weekdays, 10 pm on FX.
— Team Indulge