*Taraji P. Henson takes on one of her most emotionally charged roles yet in “Straw,” Tyler Perry’s upcoming Netflix thriller that follows a single mother caught in an escalating storm of injustice, desperation, and impossible choices.
In “Straw,” Henson plays Janiyah, a mother just trying to get through another day while caring for her sick daughter. But what begins as a routine errand to cash a check spirals into a catastrophic ordeal when she’s wrongly accused of attempting a bank robbery. “All she’s trying to do is cash her check and pay for her daughter’s lunch,” Henson told Entertainment Weekly. “If you’re a struggling single mother, you can’t always afford that regular lunch… and kids start teasing your kid. As parents, we feel our children’s pain deeper than them.”
The official synopsis sets the tone for the emotional and societal weight of the story: A single mother’s world unravels in chaos as her day goes from bad to worse to catastrophic while she struggles to care for her ill daughter. Pushed to the brink by a world that seems indifferent to her existence, she’s forced to confront impossible choices in a society that offers her no safety net.
Filmed in just four days, the production matched the intensity of the narrative. Henson managed to juggle this demanding shoot while still working on her Peacock limited series, “Fight Night.”
“That’s what I like about Tyler Perry, he’s fast, and I can be fast too,” she said. “He knew he had a limited amount of time with me. He used it wisely.”
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The cast of “Straw” is a powerhouse ensemble featuring Sherri Shepherd, Teyana Taylor, Glynn Turman, Sinbad, and Rockmond Dunbar.
“This one is a thriller, and I’ve never done a thriller with Tyler,” Henson said. “There’s a twist that happens that you don’t see coming — a whodunnit, in a sense. I can’t give away too much, so I’m trying to talk around it, but there’s some crazy twists and turns in there that’ll take you by surprise, that absolutely take the character by surprise.”
The film explores not only personal hardship but also “showcases how easy it is for people in a vulnerable position to be disregarded or disenfranchised by a system that is supposed to protect them,” Henson explained. “This woman is just trying to make it through her day and take care of her child by herself, with all the odds stacked against her. I’ve been there before.”
Reflecting on her past, Henson shared that it wasn’t difficult to relate to her character’s struggles. “I remember when all I could afford was Hamburger Helper,” she said. “And my son… to this day, will not eat oatmeal or Malt-O-Meal because that was the subsidized food you could get on the WIC checks.”
Though the shoot was brief, the emotional intensity was lasting. “The subject matter is a bit dark, so I was happy to only live in this character’s world for four days, because that energy is transferable, and it kind of sticks with you,” she said. “So I was happy to get in and get out real quick. And it was very different from any other character I’ve ever played.”
“Straw” will be available for streaming on Netflix starting June 6.
MORE NEWS ON EURWEB.COM: ‘I Wouldn’t Wish Being A Single Mom on My Worst Enemy!’ – Taraji P. Henson Gets Real on Motherhood and Mental Health Battles | WATCH
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