Among news of other things happening in Hollywood, the news that actress Taraji P. Henson demanded that she should be provided with a driver to be driven to the sets or security personnel for her latest film, The Color Purple, which has spread like wildfire. Naturally, many people who have heard about this incident accused the actress of indulging in diva behavior.
Since she was provided with a rental car from the production of the film, she was also told to kindly drive herself to the sets every day, which isn’t something that she was comfortable with, saying that this wasn’t a safe option for either her or the production in case of a mishappening. And this comment got people rallying behind her and supporting her claims.
Taraji P. Henson Criticized The Production Of The Color Purple For Not Providing Her With A Driver
In the film industry, the value that a star provides to a project may sometimes surpass even the filmmakers, which is why they’re given VIP treatment by the production on most occasions, even by the crew themselves as well. But Oscar-nominated actress Taraji P. Henson has a different story to tell about how she was treated by the production of her latest film, The Color Purple.
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In a recent interview with The New York Times, the Hidden Figures star opened up about her time working on the aforementioned film by Blitz Bazawule, where she was provided with a rental car for her commute, but no driver or security. This can prove to be a big liability since drivers ensure that the stars don’t get in any form of mishappening on the road due to their experience behind the wheel, or security should be provided in case of any deviants trying to harm the stars.
But when asked for one by Henson, they were reluctant to do so, saying that they would have to do this for everyone if they complied. She said:
“I was like, ‘I can’t drive myself to set in Atlanta.’ This is insurance liability, it’s dangerous, What do I look like, taking myself to work by myself in a rental car? So I was like, ‘Can I get a driver or security to take me?’ I’m not asking for the moon. They’re like, ‘Well, if we do it for you, we got to do it for everybody.’ Well, do it for everybody! It’s stuff like that, stuff I shouldn’t have to fight for.”
This wasn’t the first time she got unfair treatment, since during her time working on Empire, she had to deal with a vanity trailer filled infested with bugs.
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What Do The Fans Say About This?
In light of this incident becoming public knowledge, many people have come forward to support the actress by calling her demands to be justified and deserved.
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Remember when the cast of Riverdale got in that car accident driving themselves home after a 18-hour day? This is why talent should have transportation.
Let’s stop acting like Taraji is being a diva. https://t.co/lOdafcnAyg
— Kellee Terrell (@kelleent) January 7, 2024
for those who don’t know, it is industry standard for lead actors on this big of a project to have a driver or a talent assistant who drives them (primarily for their own safety, and after shooting days that can be 10+ hours).
this is low budget behavior from a big budget film.
— luca (@LucaGuadagnegro) January 6, 2024
I don’t want to be negative, but everything about The Color Purple press tour has been nothing about the movie but all about unhappiness with Hollywood wages. Yeesh.
— 🗣️Imagine That (@RevereRomance) January 6, 2024
This is insanity as I literally did background work for this production and they had bus drivers for us regular folk!!! 😡 It’s unbelievable they did this to the main actors of this!!! I’m really ashamed what they did
— kat ✨ (@KittyyyKatJ) January 6, 2024
This is ridiculous! When I and my colleagues had to fly back and forth to NYC for business, even my little ole company provided a car service to get us around during our visit because of safety and insurance liability! These movie studios just don’t value their Black actors!
— KanuriYah (@KaNuri) January 7, 2024
Thus, this support has managed to make people just a little bit more aware of what they can and should demand by considering their position and value.
The Color Purple, now in cinemas.
