Taraji P. Henson’s Tool For Social Distancing

For a woman that works as hard as Taraji P. Henson, the most difficult thing in the world might be simply sitting still. However, like millions of other Americans who are sheltering in place amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the star of movies like What Men Want, Think Like A Man and Proud Mary and who is in the final season of FOX’s Empire is taking the time at home to practice some self-care.

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“I got a full bar for Club Quarantine, honey,” she says from the comfort of her home via video conference. It is the first time Netflix has held a virtual junket via video, allowing Taraji to speak to writers about her upcoming film Coffee and Kareem, co-starring Ed Helms, while social distancing.  She’s sporting a floral blouse and crimson hair with a bright smile. Despite her good humor she is careful not to make light of the situation, asserting that she is “blessed and grateful” to have a fridge full of food. More importantly, she has been using the alone time for some self-care.

“I have learned how to do gel nails. I learned how to braid my hair, adding extensions,” she says, passing her fingers through her new coif. “I got myself a sauna blanket just before this jumped off, who knew? I’ve been spending a lot of time with my Infrared Sauna blanket and meditating. [I’ve been] doing projects around the house that I didn’t necessarily have the time to do before and just really finding my peace. Some days are more difficult than others but…”

In Coffee and Kareem Taraji plays a single mother in Detroit named Vanessa Manning who is dating a white police officer named James (Helms). Her smart but rambunctious son, Kareem (Terrence Little Gardenhigh) is not pleased about their relationship and hires a local drug dealer named Orlando (RonReaco Lee) to put a hit on James to keep him from dating his mother. But as children are prone to do, Kareem bites off more than his foul mouth can chew, and entangles his mother and her boyfriend in a web of corruption that could get them all killed.

Coffee and Kareem offers an extreme take on a common occurrence; family and friends not liking someone you date. Even Taraji is not immune.

“They usually don’t tell you until it’s over,” she says. “’I never liked him!’ Now you say something? It wasn’t coordinated sabotage [like Kareem] because they know I always come around.”  

Ed Helms is a very caring boyfriend as James, and Taraji enjoyed reaching back into her comedic bag.

“Ed puts the ‘un’ in Funny. He’s witty, he’s smart, he’s quick,” she says, gushing about her co-star. “And what was interesting is he didn’t realize how funny I was. Because I’m always in these dramatic films. But I had to explain to him that I moved out to Hollywood to book a sitcom. I was actually tracking along and then I booked Baby Boy and that was it. It wasn’t until Think Like a Man where I got to be funny again. I love the way the director [Michael Dowse] would do a take with the line as it was written—which was already funny—but then he’d have five different spins on it and I would add what I need to say. We just had a good time being funny.”

Coffee and Kareem premiers on Netflix April 3.