Taraji P. Henson was once yelled at by a man in a shop for refusing to take a photo. The Empire actress recalled an unpleasant encounter with a man during a shopping trip on a recent episode of the “Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard” podcast.
“I got into a screaming match, well I wasn’t screaming, he was, in Chicago at a Target because this guy said that I’m supposed to take pictures because that’s what comes with the job and you’re not supposed to be mad,” she remembered. “So I’m always supposed to be on, I can’t just come and buy my toilet tissues and paper towels like everybody else? ‘Well that’s what you asked for!'”
Rather than getting into an argument with the man, Henson “showed him compassion” and walked away from the situation. The 53-year-old went on to explain that a person’s approach can make all the difference and cited her “respectful” fans in Paris.
“They know my name, they’re not calling me Cookie,” she said. “They are so generous and respectful. When I go there, I will stop everything I’m doing to take a picture, (it’s) just how they approach you.”
Taraji P. Henson also noted that she doesn’t want to become so famous that she can no longer blend into a crowd.
“I learned from Regina King, who’s a dear dear sister friend of mine, and I loved how she was able to move (out in public) and I was like, ‘I want to be like that,'” she said. “I want to be recognized but I can still blend in ’cause I take on characters in life so it’s imperative that I get to people watch… It’s getting harder and harder to do but I fight for that.”