Hollywood star Taraji P. Henson is opening up about the deeply personal struggle she was battling while filming one of her most emotional scenes in the 2016 blockbuster Hidden Figures.
The Empire icon and The Color Purple star shared her truth on Tuesday’s episode of Legacy Talk with Lena Waithe, revealing that while her on-screen portrayal of NASA mathematician Katherine Goble Johnson was earning praise, her off-screen reality was far from glamorous.
In the now-famous scene, Katherine passionately tells her boss, played by Kevin Costner, why her breaks at work are so long — a powerful moment exposing the harsh reality of segregated bathrooms during the space race era. But behind the camera, Taraji was juggling more than just lines and emotions.
“Honestly, I was going through something very tragic in my life,” she revealed. “A loved one of mine was suffering, and we were trying to keep them alive.” She recalled instructing her makeup artist to keep that loved one on the phone during filming. “I said, ‘If we call 911, and the cops show up, they might shoot them. We want the paramedics to show up.’”
The Oscar-nominated actress described sprinting down the hall between takes to talk on the phone, desperately trying to help — then running right back to deliver her lines with all the passion and precision the role demanded.
“It was an out-of-body experience,” Taraji admitted. “I was present, I did it, but as soon as they yelled ‘cut,’ I was running back down the hall.”
Taraji’s raw confession adds a new layer to the already iconic Hidden Figures moment — a scene that she performed alongside Octavia Spencer and Janelle Monáe, celebrating three real-life African American women whose brilliance helped launch the United States into orbit.
Even in the midst of personal heartbreak, Taraji P. Henson delivered a performance that moved the world — proving that sometimes the strongest scenes are born from the deepest pain.
