Taraji P. Henson talks 'Think Like A Man': Hollywood should not label films 'black movies'

theGRIO VIDEO - Taraji P. Henson talks about her new film 'Think Like A Man' and why she feels Hollywood needs to award black actors for more diverse roles...

Chris Witherspoon

Apr 20, 2012

Taraji P Henson is back on the big screen, starring in the romantic comedy Think Like A Man. The film, which is an adaptation of Steve Harvey’s book Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man, centers around four couples as the women join forces to figure out what their men are thinking.

theGrio: ‘Think Like a Man’ film succeeds where the book fell short

Henson stars alongside Michael Ealy, Meagan Good, Kevin Hart, and Gabrielle Union, playing Lauren, the no-nonsense career gal with unreasonably high standards for the men she dates.

The Oscar nominated actress stopped by theGrio to talk about her new film and why she feels Hollywood needs to award black actors for more diverse roles.

On whether or not she thinks women should act like a lady and think like a man, Henson says, “I think women are smarter than men. I think a smart man knows how to pick a good smart woman who’s going to make him a better man.”

Henson says she wishes Hollywood wouldn’t label certain films as ‘black movies,’ but rather have movies be able reflect the society we live in. “I prefer mixed casts, because that what I see when I leave my house,” Henson said, “That’s why Think Like A Man is going to be so successful, because it looks like what America looks like.”

The Hustle & Flow star was nominated for an Academy Award for best supporting actress in 2009 for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, but says she is glad she didn’t win because of the kind of role she was playing.

“Did I need to win an Oscar for playing yet another maid? No. Those characters have won Oscars before. I would like to see an African-American female be nominated for a romantic comedy like Sandra Bullock or Julia Roberts,” said Henson.

“Why, when we are nominated, it’s always for the help [maid roles], those roles, or a prostitute? We have other stories to tell.”

Follow Chris Witherspoon on Twitter at @WitherspoonC