Drama queen Taraji P. Henson is 'happy to finally laugh' in upcoming 'What Men Want'
Taraji P. Henson is best known for her role as Cookie Lyon, the woman you don’t want to mess with, on TV’s Empire. She’s also earned rave reviews over the years for her performances in the dramatic films Hustle & Flow and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.
But for her next trick, she’s appearing in a comedy, What Men Want , a female-centric version of the 2000 Mel Gibson rom-com What Women Want, in which a ladies man begins hearing women’s thoughts. Henson told Yahoo Entertainment at CinemaCon that she was ready when Paramount came calling.
“I’d been dying to do a comedy. What Women Want was like one of my all-time favorite films,” Henson said. “I’m just honored, and I’m so excited, just happy to finally laugh in a role.”
She also joked that she was open to having Helen Hunt, the actress who co-starred alongside Mel Gibson in the original version of the story, play her love interest in the movie.
During an earlier interview, Hunt had demanded to know who would play the equivalent of the role she once played, the leading lady who Gibson eventually falls in love with.
“Who’s gonna play me? Can I play me?” Hunt asked. ”[Henson] falls in love with an older woman? Don’t blow it off!”
Instead, Henson laughed. “That would be hot!”
For the record, Hunt is 54, while Henson is 47 — nothing compared to the usual age gap between the leading man and his sweetheart.
What Men Want, which co-stars Tracy Morgan and Wendi McLendon-Covey, is expected to hit theaters in 2019.
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