Rising star Taraji Henson takes on Hollywood - Entertainment, Movies - Army Times

Rising star Taraji Henson takes on Hollywood

Brad Pitt might call Taraji P. Henson “my hot mama,” but Angelina has nothing to worry about.

In “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” the 38-year-old Henson plays the 45-year-old Pitt’s mother, which, given the film’s unusual plot, isn’t quite as strange as it sounds.

Still, Henson said, when she dreamed about working with People Magazine’s two-time Sexiest Man Alive, this wasn’t exactly what she had in mind. “Be careful of what you ask for,” she whoops. “Be very specific because God has a sense of humor.”

So does Pitt. During the making of the movie, he rarely saw Henson out of character. As Queenie, the operator of an old folks’ home in Depression-era New Orleans, Henson’s natural sex appeal was tamped down with aging make-up and her curves hidden under conservative costumes.

“The other day, Brad saw me all glammed-up, about to do an interview,” recalls Henson. “He looked at me and went, “Wow, my mama is hot! I have one hot mama.’ ”

Based on a short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald, “Benjamin Button” is a project that’s been kicking around Hollywood for nearly four decades. Thanks to advances in computer imaging techniques, Pitt was able to play Benjamin from age 80 to 18.