Yeah Taraji.
I guess African American women being nominated for Oscars is not a fading trend. Taraji Henson is up for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Queenie in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.
I am not one to gossip but I heard that Beyonce wanted the role but Taraji was the director's first choice.
She was also convinced she would never play the part — especially after hearing that Beyonce wanted it. "I honestly didn't think I had a shot," she says now.
She also remembers that her savings were getting low. "I was planning a garage sale — I really was." But director David Fincher, remembering her award-winning performance as a feisty prostitute in Hustle and Flow, had her pegged for the role of Queenie early on. "We were taken with how alive and maternal she was," Fincher said at the time. "I found all the warmth, all the non-judgmental aspects of Queenie in Taraji." SOURCE
Congratulations to her. She has been a favorite of mine since Baby Boy. Henson was absolutely phenomenal in Hustle and Flow. It was apparently her performance in Hustle and Flow that impressed David Fencher, the Director of Curious.
Viola Davis is also up for the same award for Doubt. I am not familiar with her work but I wish her well.