Taraji P. Henson Wins Image Award

Gina Wilhelm Actress - Taraji P. Henson Wins Image Award

This week, Taraji P. Henson won an NAACP Image award for her performance in "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button."

The New Orleans Times-Picayune sat down with the actress, who shot the film in New Orleans.

Henson waxed philosophic about her chances of an Oscar win. It turns out her philosophies mesh quite well with those of Queenie, her character in the movie.

"She had a big impact on me," the actress revealed.

She also filmed "Hurricane Season" in New Orleans with Forest Whitaker, so the paper took time to find out about that as well.

She also joked about the fact that she got the great opportunity to work with Brad Pitt, but not in the way most actresses would like.

Not only did she not play a romantic interest, but any time she touched his character as a child, he was either a puppet or a stand-in, not Pitt himself.

Queenie-and Henson-probably have some words of wisdom to lessen that sting.

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Kate Winslet Wins Bafta Award

Gina Wilhelm Actress - Kate Winslet Wins Bafta Award


Kate Winslet's march to the Oscars continues. The 33-year-0ld actress won a Bafta award for best lead actress for her work in "The Reader."

She had also been nominated for a lead actress award for "Revolutionary Road."

This is the sixth award she has won for her performance in "The Reader."

Other winners at the Baftas included Penélope Cruz for "Vicky Cristina Barcelona."

"Slumdog Millionaire," "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," Heath Ledger, and "The Wrestler" also picked up Bafta awards.

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Actresses React to Their First Oscar Nominations

Gina Wilhelm Actress - Actresses React to Their First Oscar Nominations

Viola Davis and Taraji P. Henson both received their first nominations for Academy Awards this year for "Doubt" and "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," respectively.

Both actresses, nominated in the supporting actress category, reflected on the new honors.

Henson screamed silently so as not to wake her baby. She also says costar Brad Pitt (also nominated for an award) was more excited for her than she was.

Viola Davis, who was in a single scene with with Meryl Streep, had her script for four months.

It sounds like the practice paid off.

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Cate Blanchett's Influences

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Cate Blanchett's life has given her a lot of material from which to draw for her performance in "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button."

The story is told in flashback from her character's hospital room. The character is seen from childhood (played by a different actress) through adulthood and into her 80s (played by Blanchett).

Blanchett took some of her inspiration (and mannerisms) for her character at the end of her life from her own grandmother.

Additionally, her first job as an adolescent was in a senior citizen's home, which provided further development for her character.

Of course, she also gives much credit to the film's makeup team.

As an adult, the character is a dancer. Blanchett studied ballet, though only through childhood. She did almost all her own movement in the movie except for a few shots using a stand-in including a rapid sequence of steps.

Known for frequent performance in period pieces ("Elizabeth," "Elizabeth: The Golden Age," "The Aviator," "I'm Not There"), she will next be playing the title role in "Richard II" on stage in her native Australia.

"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" opens December 25th and has received a SAG Award nomination for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture

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Taraji P. Henson On Becoming Established

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Taraji P. Henson, who made her breakthrough performance in "Hustle & Flow," talks to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution about her acting experience.

Although she's been acting in movies and TV since 1997, she still considers herself an outsider.

She also talks about how her father knew the good things that would happen in her career.


She currently appears in "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button."

Gina Wilhelm Actress