‘What Men Want’ star Taraji P. Henson on knowing what she wants

Taraji P. Henson wasn’t exactly an overnight success. “I got to Los Angeles with $700 in my pocket and my toddler,” recalled the 48-year-old actress. “People said, ‘Are you crazy? You’re 26 and too old. You’ll never make it. You can’t do this.’”

Henson had one answer to all her naysayers. “I like to fight the good fight,” she said. “Plus, I’ve always known one thing: If you listen to ‘them’ and allow people to project their fears onto you, then you won’t live.’”

Henson, star of TV’s “Empire,” is living large these days. She just got her very own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and she stars this month in the much-awaited comedy “What Men Want,” a revamp of the 2000 Mel Gibson film “What Women Want.” This time, it’s about a sports agent named Ali (Henson), who develops the ability to hear men’s thoughts.

Again, it’s Henson flying in the face of what “they” once told her. “Oh, yeah, I’ve heard, ‘You can’t open a movie because you’re a girl and you’re black,’” she said. “I guess that’s just not true.”

What is your idea of a great Sunday?

I usually wake up at 7 a.m. I’m conditioned that way to get up early. What’s so beautiful about that day is you can reflect. You can fall back. Take a walk. Hang out with loved ones. Just be. I also watch football. My dad, who passed away, was big into football, so we keep it on. It makes me feel nostalgic. I’m also engaged to a former NFL player (Super Bowl-winning Kelvin Hayden), so I kinda can’t get away from football, but I love it.

You’re recently engaged! How did you know he was The One?

I knew he was the one when we met. Then he fought for me and I said, “This really is the one.” I was protecting my heart. He was about opening my heart. In love, you have to risk it all. I believe the right person will find you and fight for you.

What’s your best relationship advice?

I think you gotta let a man be a man and a woman be a woman. That’s something I had to learn. I was single for a long time and you have to learn how to let people in. You learn the give and take.

You play Ali in “What Men Want.” She’s not that open when we meet her.

There’s a lot going on with her. She hasn’t tapped into her softer, more womanly side for a long time. She was raised by a single father who owns a boxing gym. Her favorite person was always Muhammad Ali. She’s all about power now as a sports agent and hitting the hardest. You could say she operates like one of the guys. She has to learn how to be a nurturing woman when she didn’t have one around because her mom left when she was young. She actually learns about being a woman by hearing the thoughts of the men.

Were you a fan of the original Mel Gibson film?

I was a fan. And when I was pitched this story, I thought, “What a brilliant concept to flip-flop the genders.” Even better was making it a black woman in a high-testosterone situation. The script was very well-written and I was honored that they thought of me. What I really liked, too, is that we address issues going on today like equal pay. I thought this was an opportunity to teach through laughter.

And the male thoughts are not always what you might expect.

I thought it was going to be a bunch of guys thinking about sex and women’s body parts. What we show is that men are just as insecure about their shapes and their lives. It’s called being human.

So, what do men want?

Men want what women want — security, safety and respect. All of us want to trust. We wanted to be nurtured. When you get to the heart of it, we all just want unconditional love. That’s my view. I can’t read minds to really know … thank God.

The film also has a message about women breaking the glass ceiling.

Equal pay is a major topic today and this movie addresses it. The woman I play is trying to become a partner in a boys’ club. She’s not being promoted while bringing in the numbers. It’s frustrating for her to watch men doing less rise above her. But she won’t back down. She will break through that glass ceiling. I’m like her in that I don’t back down. I’m a fighter, too.

It doesn’t hurt to have some strong female friends on your side.

I call my girlfriends in real life “Sisters of the Yams.” Women are very nurturing and resourceful. We do well when we come together. It’s a beautiful thing when you have friends who love you through your flaws.

You’ve said that Lucille Ball was a major inspiration to you.

I was an only child with a very creative imagination. I was always performing and making people laugh like my favorite comedians on TV. I loved Carol Burnett and Lucille Ball. I used to stand with my face about an inch from the TV because I was studying everything about these performers. I had to get really close to them. With Lucy, I didn’t see women doing what she did on TV. She couldn’t be ignored because she was so talented. Her talent made me have dreams and aspirations. I wanted to make people laugh.

Is it hard to fight for what you want in Hollywood?

I do fight for my money. It’s always a fight because no one is just giving money away. But I know my power and what I have to offer. I have the numbers and the audience to back me up. Women need to know their power.

And you don’t back down.

Well, I didn’t believe those people who told me I wouldn’t graduate from college because I had my son (Marcell, now 24). I walked across that graduation stage with my son on my hip. Even now, I’m still out there bucking conventional wisdom. There is still this fight inside of me where I tell myself, “I will rise above.” I was told that if you don’t make it by age 20 as an actress, then you will never make it. I’m in my 40s, and I’m just scratching the surface.