‘Empire’ Cast
From left: Trai Byers, Terrence Howard, Taraji P. Henson, Bryshere "Yazz" Gray and Jussie Smollett were photographed Aug. 23 on Empire's soundstage at Cinespace Studios in Chicago.
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Image Credit: Photo Credit: Eric Ray Davidson -
Taraji P. Henson
Image Credit: Photo Credit: Eric Ray Davidson "So after however many years I’ve been in this business, I finally have Hollywood's attention," Taraji P. Henson, who plays Cookie Lyon on the hit series, tells The Hollywood Reporter.
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Taraji P. Henson
Image Credit: Photo Credit: Eric Ray Davidson "Taraji was what I call 'Project Royalty' because in the projects, honey, she is royalty," says co-creator Lee Daniels. "She was Meryl Streep in the streets; it just took a moment for white America to catch on."
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Terrence Howard
Image Credit: Photo Credit: Eric Ray Davidson "Taraji and Terrence are the leads of this show, they are at the center of Empire, and we would never look to displace Terrence from that position," says Fox TV Group chairman Dana Walden on Howard's personal travails. Adds Lee Daniels, "[Terrence] ain't done nothing different than Marlon Brando or Sean Penn, and all of a sudden he’s some f—in' demon."
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Trai Byers
Image Credit: Photo Credit: Eric Ray Davidson "We're playing chess this season. Everybody’s storylines involve everybody else's, and we all have agendas," Trai Byers tells THR about season two of the Fox series.
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Jussie Smollett
Image Credit: Photo Credit: Eric Ray Davidson "You don’t have to have a TV show or a record or followers on Instagram or Twitter to make a difference in the world, but if you do have that, you should definitely use that for good, or else what’s it for?" says Jussie Smollett.
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Bryshere “Yazz” Gray
Image Credit: Photo Credit: Eric Ray Davidson Bryshere Gray, who plays rapper Hakeem Lyon, still is making sense of the frenzy but says the coolest feedback so far is, "Michael Jackson's mother reached out to me a few weeks ago."
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Bryshere “Yazz” Gray
Image Credit: Photo Credit: Eric Ray Davidson "I make sure he’s saving his money and getting a business manager," Taraji P. Henson tells THR about helping 21-year-old Gray manage his newfound fame. "I want him investing in property and art and not in shoes and cars."