Cape Town – Empire fever is running high in South Africa with two stars of the hit show doing a fan tour in Johannesburg.
Taraji P Henson and Terrence Howard who play Cookie and Luscious Lyon in the Fox (DStv 125) show gave media some insight into the characters they play at a press conference at Multchoice City.
Here are 6 things we learnt about the pair.
1. Cookie's favourite line
Boo Boo Kitty. Terrence added that this is the first catch phrase Taraji did ad lib.
2. Taraji was scared to take on the role
"I thought people would hate Cookie and I was scared to take on the job. She calls one son who is gay a faggot, she beats one with a broom, she sold crack and she went to jail. The challenge for me was finding her redeeming qualities. She's a dangerous character to play and if you just played her with sass and attitude everyone would hate her. You have to show the why, what drives this woman and I think everyone fell in love with her cause she's a lioness, and she'll do anything to protect her family," said Taraji.
3. Watch Terrence talk about how Taraji got him the role:
4. Terrence is a self-taught musician
He taught himself to play the guitar while the pair were filming the movie Hustle and Flow. He now plays nine musical instruments and writes all the songs he performs on the show.
5. Their favourite songs on the soundtracks
Taraji can't get You're So Beautiful out of her head, but her favourite song is You Broke Love, written by Terrence. His favourite is Chasing the Sky.
6. There's another singer on set!
While he doesn’t sing on the show Taraji revealed that Trai Byers, who plays the eldest Andre, has a beautiful voice.