Taraji P Henson reveals her Broadway beauty regime before each show

Taraji P. Henson loves doing her own hair and makeup for her Broadway show.

Taraji P. Henson loves doing her own hair and makeup for her Broadway show.

The 55-year-old star is making her Broadway debut in a production of August Wilson’s 1984 play Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, and she has enjoyed her preshow ritual of sorting out her “own makeup”.

She told PEOPLE magazine: “I don’t have a hair and makeup team.”

Instead, she spends her time before each performance “preparing and putting Bertha on”, referring to her character Bertha Holly.

She added: “It’s literally me putting Bertha on.”

She does have a couple of people on hand to help with her wig, as well as a dresser to get her in costume.

She explained: “That helps build, get me prepared. And then we always do a prayer circle right before we have to go to places as a family.”

Back in 2022, the Empire actress has launched a new line of body care products, Body by TPH, and at the time she opened up on the importance of an affordable collection.

She told InStyle.com: “Taking care of yourself doesn’t have to be expensive. Yes, the spa is there, but inflation is happening.

“People are having to cut back on things, but why should you have to cut back on self-care? It affects your mental health.”

Taraji wanted the products to help people set their own beauty “rituals” when they still feel unable to have spa treatments.

She said: “People are a little traumatised from the pandemic and they’re not socialising as much or going to spas as much because there’s still the fear of COVID.

“During shutdown, I was teaching people how to do their hair at home and now it’s like, let’s turn that Sunday chore into a ritual.

“While you have your hair mask on, you can indulge in a nice deep, relaxing bath with a relaxing candle. Or you can get your energy the next morning from the mandarin and ginger in the body cleansing line.”

When it comes to acting, Taraji recently opened up on how returning to her theatre roots on Broadway was like “boot camp” with a totally different energy compared to movies or television.

She told Live with Kelly and Mark: “When you do feature film or television, you don’t know if the joke worked until they yelled cut because no one can laugh right away or else you blow the shot. “But in the theatre, it’s so alive. I love the energy; the synergy with the audience. The show is different every night. It’s never picture lock.”