Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Fox Producers Cut Mo’Nique for the Role of Cookie Lyons on ‘Empire’ (Watch)

taraji p henson, monique,*Mo’Nique revealed to Inside Edition she was originally supposed to play Cookie Lyons on “Empire.” But the breakout character role instead went to Taraji P. Henson who constantly steals the show.

She added director Lee Daniels who directed her in theĀ Oscar-winning performance from the independent drama, “Precious” originally wanted her to play the part of Cookie.

ā€œWhen he called me up, he offered me the role in Empire as Cookie,ā€ she said about Daniels who even sent her a script for the pilot.

ā€œMaybe four days had gone by, and I hadnā€™t heard anything,” she added. “So Iā€™m trying to reach out to him to say, what time do I need to be in? Where do I need to be? When he finally returned the call, he says listen, the executives at Fox said that youā€™re difficult.ā€

But she acknowledged her reputation for being difficult probably started with wanting to get paid for promoting “Precious” at the 2009Ā Cannes Film Festival.

ā€œThere were demands that were made from her, on the Precious campaign that everyone knows about that hurt her,ā€ Daniels told CNN.

Moā€™Nique said, ā€œIf you work a job Monday through Friday and you work 40 hours and then your boss says, ā€˜well I need you to come in on Saturday,ā€™ do you do that for free, or is that considered overtime?ā€

Host Les Trent asked, ā€œMoā€™Nique are you difficult to work with? This is Lee Daniels, your friend, saying these things.ā€ She responded with, ā€œwhen I hear Mr. Daniels making those comments, he and I know that thatā€™s not true,ā€ she said.

But Christian Bale is a popular, acclaimed actor yet he threw a screaming tantrum on the set of 2009’s “Terminator Salvation,” which was seen across the world that didn’t set back his career.

ā€œDo you think that there is a double standard when it comes to men and women?ā€ Trent asked.Ā Moā€™Nique replied, ā€œOf course there is a double standard but itā€™s not just in this industry, thatā€™s just life, period.ā€

Watch the interview below:

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