In Taraji P. Henson‘s new memoir, Around the Way Girl, she addresses everything from living as a single mom in college to a domestic violence incident involving her son’s father. According to a new excerpt obtained by USA Today, Henson also reveals that one of her movie roles was ultimately given to fellow actress Naomi Watts.
The 46-year-old Empire star’s book includes a chapter titled “On Being a Black Woman in Hollywood,” in which she discusses the incident, according to USA Today.
“Time and again, I’ve lost roles because someone with the ability to green-light a film couldn’t see black women beyond a very limited purview he or she thought ‘fit’ audience expectations,” Henson writes in the memoir.
According to the star, St. Vincent screenwriter and director Theodore Melfi wrote the role of a pregnant Russian stripper in the 2014 comedy specifically for Henson, but the part was later filled by Watts, 48.
“It was a meaty gig,” the Golden Globe winner writes in Around the Way Girl. “I would have loved it. Alas, I couldn’t get served at that particular restaurant.”
Henson also writes about the low salary she received for her Academy Award–nominated role in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. She claims she received “the equivalent of sofa change” compared to the sums of costars Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett, adding that her paycheck was near “the lowest of six figures.”
“When I did that [role], my performance of Queenie became transformed into a spiritual awakening, not just for me but also the audiences who watched the film and cheered my performance,” she writes.
Henson’s Around the Way Girl: A Memoir is available in bookstores now.
