Taraji P. Henson Covers Entertainment Weekly

Empire‘s Taraji P. Henson covers the latest issue of Entertainment Weekly. The 45-year-old BET and Golden Globe Award winner is gearing up for Season 3 of Fox and Lee Daniels‘ Empire and the release of upcoming memoir, Around The Way Girl (on sales October 11). She’s also releasing a cosmetics line with MAC, and starring in Hidden Figures (due this winter), in which she plays real-life NASA mathematician Katherine Johnson “This is my first time carrying a show and then going to carry a movie,” says Henson. “That’s a lot. It’s so stressful, and I had to really check myself because it’s so easy to take for granted when you get to a certain level. Like check yourself because people pray to be here.”

Below are some excerpts from Henson‘s interview with EW:

How long does she want to be play Cookie on Empire?

“Well of course, I want it to go into syndication,” the actress tells EW on Empire’s Chicago set. “It’s not like it’s a bad job. You see how much fun we have. Even with the crew, you can feel the energy on this set. So it’s not like it’s a bad job. But what I’m starting to find is that now I’m getting more offers for features.”

Henson adds, “I love features ‘cause it’s a chance for everybody to remember she’s a character actress, not just Cookie.”

And there are personalities Henson still wants to portray. Says the actress: “I haven’t played a superhero yet, I haven’t played a psycho character yet. I want to play a man, like I want to really disappear. I have so much to do.”