*With season one of “Empire” under her belt, Taraji P. Henson can take a breather from Cookie Lyons and regroup for season 2, which will likely have the character even more extreme, more outrageous and into more ‘ish than her freshman run.
The actress, 44, says playing Cookie has forced her to employ every nook and cranny of her craft.
“She uses every emotion, every nerve,” Henson told us last week. “I mean, she’s the reason I drink a lot of wine at night. She challenges me.”
Below, Taraji explains why she looks specifically for roles that will challenge her:
And now, the season finale’s Cookie/Anika fight remixed to “Drip Drop”:
