Taraji P. Henson breaks down in TEARS and says she is still underpaid compared to white actors when asked if she should quit acting

Taraji P. Henson was overcome with emotion on Tuesday as she addressed rumors in a new interview that she said she was considering quitting acting.

After Gayle King addressed the rumors in a SiriusXM interview, the 53-year-old actress began crying almost immediately and took a long pause before she could speak again.

“I’m just tired of working so hard and being gracious about what I do.” [and] “You're only getting paid a fraction of the cost,” she finally said, after Danielle Brooks – her co-star in The Color Purple – asked for support.

She and Taraji made the rounds with the film's director, Blitz Bazawule, to promote their upcoming film, which also stars Fantasia Barrino and Colman Domingo and is based on the 1982 Alice Walker novel, the non-musical Steven Spielberg film from 1985 and the musical from 2005

She expressed frustration that she earned far less than some of her white co-stars in previous projects – despite being featured prominently in the cast – and repeated her criticism of studio executives who claimed she didn't have willing fans to see their films abroad.

Taraji P. Henson, 53, began crying in an interview with SiriusXM this week when Gayle King asked her about rumors that she was considering quitting acting

The Color Purple star was overcome with emotion as she spoke ahead of the release of The Color Purple about how she still feels underpaid compared to white actors in Hollywood (pictured with Fantasia Barrino).

Taraji made it clear that her complaints about substandard pay were shared by many other black actors.

“I'm tired of hearing my sisters say the same thing over and over again.” “You get tired,” she continued. “I hear people say, ‘You work a lot.’ Well, I have to. “Mathematics is not mathematics.”

Adding to the money problems was the fact that she had to hire a team to manage her career and public appearances once she became a star, which significantly increased her expenses, although her paychecks still weren't as big as they should be had imagined.

“When you start working a lot, you have a team.” “There are big bills that come with what we do,” she explained. “We don’t do this alone.” There’s a whole team behind us. They need to be paid.'

“If you hear someone say, 'So-and-so brought in $10 million,' that didn't go into their account,” the Hidden Figures star continued. “From above, Uncle Sam gets 50 percent.” Now you have $5 million. Your team receives a 30 percent discount on your gross sales, not based on what Uncle Same made. Now do the math.'

She continued, “I'm only human.” Every time I do something and break another glass ceiling, when it's time to renegotiate, I'm back at the bottom like I never did anything I just did and I'm tired. I am tired. “It wears you down,” she said, sounding annoyed. 'What does that mean? What does that tell me?'

Taraji added that her own struggles maintaining her position in the industry made it harder for her to help aspiring stars find their own footing.

“If I can't fight for them to come up behind me, then what the hell am I doing?” she mused as her tears grew stronger.

Taraji started crying when Gayle asked about the resignation. “I’m just tired of working so hard and being gracious about what I do.” [and] “We only get paid a fraction of the costs,” she finally said

“I'm tired of hearing my sisters say the same thing over and over again.” “You get tired,” she continued. “I hear people say, ‘You work a lot.’ Well, I have to. “Mathematics is not mathematics.”

She noted that her supposedly small payouts don't go as far as fans might think when taxes are taken into account and her team receives about “30 percent” of what she earned

She paused for a moment to dab her eyes, raising her hand to cover them as she sobbed, before calming down and continuing.

The Hustle & Flow actress also brought up previous complaints about studio executives telling her that her films “won't be translated abroad” as an excuse for not casting her on bigger budget films that depend on international box office .

“I’ve been sick of hearing about it my entire career,” she said. “Over twenty years in the game and I hear the same thing and see what you do for another production but when it comes time to play for us they don't have enough money.” And I'm just supposed to smile and grin and endure it. Enough is enough!'

She added that she had to diversify with sponsorships and other non-active revenue streams to compete.

“That’s why I have others.” [brands] Because if you let it, this industry will steal your soul. “I refuse to let this happen,” she said defiantly.

Bazawule spoke out to defend Henson and back up her claims that she was having difficulty getting cast, suggesting he was pushed back by the studio.

He said that when he pitched his future stars to the studio, the executives responded as if they had never been here.

“The fact that each of you had to audition for these roles…roles that came naturally to you…roles that no one should question,” he continued.

Taraji also complained that for years executives had told her that audiences abroad were not interested in her as an excuse not to hire her or pay her a paltry salary

“Color Purple” director Blitz Bazawule further supported their claim by stating that the studio balked at all the lead actors he suggested and forced them all to audition even though they were established stars

In a previous interview for a SAG-AFTRA panel, Taraji revealed that she originally considered turning down The Color Purple due to the meager salary she was offered, and she hoped her co-stars would do so would inspire people to reject the production as well or to fight for something better.

She didn't make it clear whether she had simply changed her mind or whether she was able to secure better pay to stay in production.

During the on-stage conversation, she also claimed that her rate of appearing in films hasn't increased since 2018's Proud Mary, in which she starred.

The following year, she continued to star in the popular series Empire (until 2020) and took the lead in several more films, but unlike many of her contemporaries, she was unable to get a raise.

Taraji has been outspoken about her complaints about how she and other black actors are paid in Hollywood for years.

In 2019, she told Variety that she initially offered just $100,000 to star in David Fincher's box office hit The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.

She was billed third for this film, just behind leads Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett, but she said her salary was far less than what they received.

Henson said she was expecting to earn about $500,000 for a role of this magnitude in a big-budget film with megastars and a high-profile director, but she was only able to get the studio to increase her salary for the star to $150,000 -Turn to increase dollars.

In a Variety interview in 2019, Taraji complained that he was offered $100,000 – which was later increased to $150,000 – for The Curious Case of Benjamin. She was billed third behind Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett and felt she should have received half a million dollars instead

“I want to be clear – I'm not saying Brad or Cate shouldn't have gotten what they got,” she said in that earlier interview. “They put asses in seats, so give them their money.” They deserve it.

“I'm not saying they shouldn't get what they get.” I just asked for half a million – that's all. That's it. “When I made Benjamin Button I wasn’t worth a million,” she explained. “My audience was still getting to know me. At the time we thought we were asking for what was fair for me.

“I asked for half a million.” “That's it,” she added. “And they gave me $100,000.” Does that make sense? I'm number three on the call list. Does that make sense to you? I only asked for $500,000 – that's all we asked for.'

Henson can be seen in The Color Purple when it hits theaters nationwide on Christmas Day.