10 Things You Didn’t Know About Empire’s Taraji P. Henson

I recently got the chance to watch the first half of Empire‘s two-hour season finale, which airs tonight. And, guys, let me tell you, the first half is jaw-on-the-floor and you-can’t-help-but-scream-crazy-loud level epic. But what was even more amazing was getting to watch the show with Taraji P. Henson, who in addition to being Queen Cookie, won my vote for best television commentary ever (she once even shouted out “Lucifer!” about Lucious while we were all watching…and it was amazing.) Here’s what else I learned about TV’s reigning new queen:

No matter what, she’s always a mom first.

“My son is 20, so he grew up in this industry with me. Even if I had 5 A.M. calls, I’d get up and cook him pancakes, eggs, and sausage and leave it in the microwave for him all wrapped up. The crazy thing is that my career really grew as he was growing. When I was first starting out, no one knew who I was, so that gave me time to go to all of his games and PTA meetings.”

Mary J. Blige is a fan of her cooking.

“I love to cook and look for recipes all the time. I make lasagna, great collard greens, and I do an amazing Thanksgiving turkey. My signature dish is chili. I make two types: red chili and a white-bean chicken chili. Every time Mary J. Blige comes to town, she requests it. She’ll say, ‘Taraji, are you going to make that chili?’ And when she’s out of town, she’ll ask me to freeze a bag and her assistant will come pick it up!”

She once almost lost diamonds upwards of $100,000, and Meryl Streep helped her find them.

“I thought I lost a piece of the Fred Leighton diamond necklace I wore [to the 2009 Oscars]. I felt a cluster of the diamonds fall and made everybody stop. I was like, ‘Everybody stop! Everybody help me!’ Meryl Streep…everybody.” (Don’t worry, she found it!)

She didn’t always get to wear such fabulous clothes.

“When you’re not a big name in the industry and people don’t really get you yet, designers don’t just throw stuff at you. It doesn’t work like that. I’m always grateful to the people who looked out for me when I needed it and gave me a hand when no one knew who I was.”

But she is way into fashion.

“I have clothes in every closet of my house. The only closet I haven’t taken over yet is my son’s, but give it time…” (Check out Henson’s out-of-this-world shoe closet.)

Her favorite song from Empire is “You’re So Beautiful.”

“The music has become a character of the show, and it’s organically woven into the scenes. It’s such a great concept, I wish I had come up with it! [Laughs]”

__She thinks that Cookie could have been hated. Repeat: could have been hated. __

“Cookie is a character who could easily be hated. She sold drugs, breaks into meetings…she’s everywhere she’s not supposed to be! But if you play her rooted in reality and think about why she is the way she is, you have compassion for her. You empathize with her. If she was just angry, sassy, and had all this attitude, no one would care about her. But she’s a fighter. It’s just in her.”

She’s all for Cookie singing.

“I’m always creating backstory for Cookie. If there was a sensible reason as to why Cookie is a singer, I would totally do it. We saw in the pilot that she plays the piano, so why wouldn’t she sing? Maybe she was always the talented one, but she took a backseat to her man. Women do that sometimes. That sacrifice is real, and I think we need to show that.”

She’ll even sing on command!

When Sophia asked Henson if she’d sing a song from Empire, there wasn’t even a moment’s hesitation. Megan and I were having a dance party behind the camera and were giddy for hours after experiencing this. There’s no question: The girl can sing!

A video posted by Sophia Chabbott (@sophiachabbott) on Mar 16, 2015 at 4:31pm PDT

Be sure to tune into the finale of Empire tonight at 8 P.M. ET on Fox. Will you be watching? I know I will!