Taraji P. Henson says "Empire" is great in every way -- except dating
Mo' money, mo' problems, it seems for Empire star Taraji P. Henson. The Oscar-nominated actress told ET that while her career has reached a new plateau, her love life is tanking.
"I think the more successful you get, the more intimidated [men] get, because they feel like they can't approach me," the 44-year-old actress said. "Or they're afraid to approach me."
You can't blame some guys for thinking that Henson is out of their league. The actress' "Empire" character, Cookie Lyon, is in a league all her own, as the unofficial queen of primetime television. Henson opened up about how her character will keep the dysfunctional Lyon family together.
"A whole lot of love," she said. "Lucious and Cookie can love each other one minute, hate each other the next, but let something go wrong with one of the boys...they forget all of their differences."
As Henson continues her real-life search for "Mr. Right," other co-stars have been more lucky in love. Grace Gealey is engaged to co-star Trai Byers and Kaitlin Doubleday will be saying "I do" to her deejay fiancé Devin Lucien. The timing of their engagements is convenient for Gealey and Doubleday as it could give them a chance to bounce wedding ideas off of each other.
"Katy's my boo. We're friends no matter what in real life, so we talk about everything," Gealey said.
"Empire" kicks off its second season on Sept. 23, and while the soap opera has dominated the ratings in a way that seems effortless, it has required long hours of hard work from its cast and crew. Henson was hospitalized for exhaustion in June, and tweeted from her hospital bed, writing: "God has a way of saying you're doing too much."
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Henson says she's learned from that experience and now appreciates the importance of rest. "When I have days off, I just don't do anything," she said. "I stay home. I have things delivered, and I just chill."