Taraji P. Henson, Sherri Shepherd And Teyana Taylor Talk ‘Straw’ Film

“It’s something about people who exist in a world that’s really populated, who feel unseen. I have such a soft space in my heart for those people.”

That is what Academy Award nominee Taraji P. Henson had to say, regarding her involvement in the new Netflix film, Tyler Perry’s Straw, which tells the story of Janiyah, a single mother who has to deal with an unbearable amount of challenges and ultimately finds herself caught up in a perceived bank robbery with a hostage situation. “It’s almost like giving a voice to the voiceless – and so, that drove me to want to do this film.”

Co-starring Sherri Shepherd and Teyana Taylor, I wondered what initially intrigued them to play Nicole and Detective Raymond in Straw, two of very few characters in the film that actually show some compassion towards Janiyah’s difficult circumstances.

Following me taking a moment to express some professional praise for their ever-expanding careers at the start of our conversation, Taylor said, “I mean, look at this. You started this interview off just giving us our flowers and seeing us and feeling us, and we appreciate that so much. I think that’s kind of what we were fighting for in this movie – to be seen, to be heard – to know that it was okay to feel. I think it got us together to form this sisterhood between strangers, because one thing we definitely had in common, or a few things we had in common, we were all mothers and Black women, which you know, Black women are the least protected. So, that compassion and that empathy and that patience and that grace was so necessary. It was so needed in this film.”

Shepherd added: “Each of us were fighting to be seen. Nicole was fighting to be seen. She left a lucrative job at a bank in an affluent neighborhood because she wasn’t seen. She wanted to be seen to make a difference. She was fighting for that. Janiyah came along and she was able to fight for Janiyah. Teyana’s character Detective Raymond, even in authority, she was fighting to be seen. They were taking her position away from her. We were all in our own way fighting to be seen and it formed this bond between us three.”

With Henson’s character Janiyah finding herself in a sticky situation with law enforcement, while trying to protect and care for her ailing daughter, what does the actor hope that Straw viewers will take away from seeing this film play out?

“I hope that they see that humans are humans, no matter what color of skin or what religious background or sexual orientation. We are all trying to do our best with the cards that we are dealt. Every last one of us are trying to do our very best, and at the end of the day, humans need humans. We can’t do this thing called life alone. We need each other.”

When speaking about her favorable experience working alongside Perry again, as well as on-screen with Taylor and Shepherd, Henson said, “Tyler, I just have such an incredible respect for him and I enjoy working with him. I am always so excited when he calls me and he says he has something for me, because I know it’s going to be good, but I also know he’s challenging me. With every script he sent me, he stepped it up a notch every time. I always look forward to that call from him.”

Henson added: “I loved working with Sherri Shepherd in this light because we all know her as the comedian, the funny Sherri, and I know I always think that comedians make really good dramatic actors, and she did her thing in this. Teyana Taylor is just something special. That woman checks every talent box. She leaves nothing on the table. I can’t wait for you to see the things that she has coming. She’s amazing. The only problem I have is that I had no scenes with her until the very end. So, I need a do-over with Teyana Taylor.”

With Henson, Shepherd and Taylor all playing mothers in the Netflix movie and being actual mothers themselves, I was curious what each of them would like to say to other mothers within our real world, who are working hard to take care of their children.

Taylor said, “We see you. We love you. We value you. We cherish you and that you are not alone, and we got you. I definitely hope that’s what they take from this. This movie is a love letter to women, especially mothers. So hopefully, they do get to see a different side, which you’re not used to maybe seeing a detective be compassionate and empathetic. So, I think it’s dope to see how much compassion is in this movie, how much empathy is in this movie and how much patience is in this movie between women. The men were very egotistical in this film and no one really showed up. So, we had to show up for each other. All we got, as Black women, is each other.”

Shepherd said, “As single moms, your children so need you. The way our ancestors did – they came over, they were taken, and I know they had to say, ‘It’s got to get better for the people who are coming behind us.’ You’re a mother – your first assignment is your child. Just keep believing that it will get better. Keep manifesting that. You are seen and create a village. Find people to be in your village because we’re not meant to go at this alone.”

Henson said with struggling single mothers in mind, “I see you. I once was you. I understand what you are up against, but I want you to know that you are not alone. You are never alone. You don’t have to suffer in silence. Speak up for yourself. Find someone who sees you, because there are other humans out here, that they may not be able to write you a check, but just to sit and listen and empathize and hear you – that can save someone’s life. Error on the side of kindness when you interact with strangers, because you never know what a person is going through. You never know the battles that they are fighting. I’ve known so many people to not be here and die by suicide because they felt alone, and that should never be the case.”

As I concluded our conversation about Straw, I wondered what Henson would say to her main character, Janiyah, after embodying her in this Netflix film and understanding who she is.

Henson said, “That I’m proud of her. I’m proud of her for doing the best she can. I’m proud of her for doing the best that she could, and I see you and I love you. I feel like that’s all she ever needed to hear.”