‘Empire’ star Taraji P. Henson delivers 1970s era glamour for the July 2015 cover shoot from Allure Magazine. Sporting volume-filled curls, the actress looks as glam as ever in images captured by Carter Smith. With her role as Cookie Lyon on the hit show, Taraji’s on the rise at 44-years-old.
But as she tells the magazine, it took nearly 14 years to get to this point. The actress reveals that she worked hard to get ahead and explains why she does not get romantically involved with her co-workers on set. “I always wanted to be known for my work. Not who I dated. Not who I slept with…. I have a gift, and my gift is acting,” Henson says. “I started in the business at 26 with a kid, so I was smart enough to know reality from fantasy. I didn’t want to blur the lines. This is a job that I have to do. I cannot get caught up in it. And if I sleep with these guys, why would they want to work with me again?”