Taraji P. Henson says cast of “The Color Purple” had to drive themselves to set

In recent months, actress Taraji P. Henson has been vocal about her disappointment with the ways in which Hollywood treats women — especially women of color — as less important and less valuable than men who take on equal or lesser roles, many of whom have less experience. 

During various press appearances linked to her role in the second film adaptation of Alice Walker’s “The Color Purple,” Henson has been brought to tears describing how hard she’s fought to get to the point she’s at in her career, saying she still finds herself fighting to be paid adequately and treated with the respect she feels she’s earned. In a recent interview with The New York Times, she reveals yet another example of mistreatment, saying that producers of “The Color Purple” wanted the cast to drive themselves to set each day in rental cars, which she fought against by claiming that doing so would be a insurance liability.

“They gave us rental cars, and I was like, ‘I can’t drive myself to set in Atlanta.’ This is insurance liability, it’s dangerous. Now they robbing people,” Henson said during the interview. “What do I look like, taking myself to work by myself in a rental car? So I was like, ‘Can I get a driver or security to take me?’ I’m not asking for the moon. They’re like, ‘Well, if we do it for you, we got to do it for everybody.’”

“Well, do it for everybody,” she pushed back. “It’s stuff like that, stuff I shouldn’t have to fight for. I was on the set of Empire fighting for trailers that wasn’t infested with bugs.”