Taraji P. Henson earned a Finest Supporting Actress Oscar nomination for 2008’s The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, however years later she was nonetheless fired up by the $150,000 she accepted to be within the film—after producers rejected the $500,000 quote she dropped at the desk.
As for the movie’s leads Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett, “You don’t hear a whole lot of $20 million quotes anymore, however presently that was occurring,” Henson mentioned on the Girls First With Laura Brown podcast in 2021. “And rightfully so—I’m not saying they shouldn’t have paid Cate and Brad what they deserved.”
However, she continued, “I’m bringing a certain quantity to the seat too and I felt like what I used to be asking at the moment in my profession was honest, was honest to the ticket gross sales that I might contribute to this large movie. Wouldn’t do it.” Henson was “gutted” once they supplied $100,000, she recalled. “When it was all mentioned and carried out I received $150,000, however I needed to swallow my satisfaction, child.”
Breaking it down, “I do know folks go, ‘$150,000, that’s some huge cash!’” Henson acknowledged. “I don’t ever need folks to assume that I’m ungrateful as a result of that isn’t me.” However, she calculated, “Uncle Sam goes to take 50 % of that, so now you’re left with, what? $75,000. Now earlier than Uncle Sam takes the cash, I’ve to pay my staff earlier than taxes, 30 %. So as soon as Uncle Sam takes his 75, then I received one other 30 that’s coming off of that 75, so I’ll have made $40,000?”
