Taraji P. Henson is showing she's ready to tap into a new venture.
(Emma McIntyre.)
During Thursday's TIME 100 Gala in New York City, ET's Rachel Smith spoke with the 53-year-old actress. Henson offered a glimpse into her upcoming children's book, "You Can Be a Good Friend (No Matter What!)," scheduled for release on June 18th.
"You always hear that saying, 'Don't ever kill the little kid inside of you.' I'm introducing the world to my little TJ. It's the little girl that allows me to play still to this day," Henson told ET. "I have a salon that I go in, I have doll heads... That's where I go when I play."
"When I grew up, as a kid, we didn't have much. I remember I would look through the catalogs and circle all the toys and I would say, 'One day when I'm rich, I'm going to buy these and I'm going to have me a little girl,'" she continued. "I kept that promise to myself."
(TIME Magazine.)
Now, Henson said, when "People go, 'How do you stay so young?'" she responds, "It's because that little girl inside of me still has a big voice in my life."
"That's what the book is about, introducing you to little TJ. Not only that, but also teaching children to embrace their differences, embrace others' differences, and to always see the glass as half full," she said. "You're going to be met with opposition in life, how do you deal with it? Are you going to make the best of it or are you going to let that negativity drag you down? Your joy is always a choice. You get to make that choice."
Thursday marked a significant moment for Henson as she was honored by Time. Just weeks prior, she earned a spot on the magazine's prestigious list of the 100 most influential people of 2024, accompanied by a tribute from Mary J. Blige.
In her tribute to Henson, Blige praised her courage, saying, "What I love most about her is that she is unapologetically herself. Taraji is a real woman -- she doesn't bite her tongue, and she's not afraid to stand up for what she believes in." You can read the entire tribute here.
Henson told ET that Blige's words meant "the world" to her, adding, "I feel the same way about her."
"You Can Be a Good Friend (No Matter What!)" can be preordered here. Congratulations to Taraji for consistently paving the way, breaking barriers, and doing it unapologetically!
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