Taraji
P.
Henson
earned
a
Best
Supporting
Actress
Oscar
nomination
for
2008’s
The
Curious
Case
of
Benjamin
Button,
but
years
later
she
was
still
fired
up
by
the
$150,000
she
accepted
to
be
in
the
movie—after
producers
rejected
the
$500,000
quote
she
brought
to
the
table.
As
for
the
film’s
leads
Brad
Pitt
and
Cate
Blanchett,
“You
don’t
hear
a
lot
of
$20
million
quotes
anymore,
but
at
this
time
that
was
happening,”
Henson
said
on
the
Ladies
First
With
Laura
Brown
podcast
in
2021.
“And
rightfully
so—I’m
not
saying
they
shouldn’t
have
paid
Cate
and
Brad
what
they
deserved.”
But,
she
continued,
“I’m
bringing
a
certain
amount
to
the
seat
too
and
I
felt
like
what
I
was
asking
at
that
time
in
my
career
was
fair,
was
fair
to
the
ticket
sales
that
I
would
contribute
to
this
big
film.
Wouldn’t
do
it.”
Henson
was
“gutted”
when
they
offered
$100,000,
she
recalled.
“When
it
was
all
said
and
done
I
got
$150,000,
but
I
had
to
swallow
my
pride,
baby.”
Breaking
it
down,
“I
know
people
go,
‘$150,000,
that’s
a
lot
of
money!’”
Henson
acknowledged.
“I
don’t
ever
want
people
to
think
that
I’m
ungrateful
because
that
is
not
me.”
But,
she
calculated,
“Uncle
Sam
is
going
to
take
50
percent
of
that,
so
now
you’re
left
with,
what?
$75,000.
Now
before
Uncle
Sam
takes
the
money,
I
have
to
pay
my
team
before
taxes,
30
percent.
So
once
Uncle
Sam
takes
his
75,
then
I
got
another
30
that’s
coming
off
of
that
75,
so
I
may
have
made
$40,000?”
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