What Men Want
Screen Rant was invited to Atlanta , GA earlier this year to visit the set of Paramount’sWhat Men Want , a new comedy starring Taraji P. Henson that ’s a re - imagining of 2000’sWhat Women Wantwith the genders turn . The plastic film is make by Will Packer and James Lopez ( Girl ’s Trip ) , is directed by Adam Shankman ( Hairspray ) , and also star Tracy Morgan , Aldis Hodge , Wendi McLendon - Covey , and Richard Roundtree .
Thefirst trailerwas released earlier today , and in it , audiences got their first look at Henson ’s character reference , Ali Davis , a sport agentive role who skin to get in the lead in her male person - dominate subject field but gains the upper bridge player when she develop the power to hear humans ’s thoughts . Ali has spent her whole life around military personnel , raised by a exclusive father , a former bagger ( Roundtree ) , and that ’s where she is most comfortable . However , being a woman in a man ’s public is n’t always light , and having worked twice as tough for half the reward , she ’s become a little bitter . After she ’s pass over for a well - deserved promotion , her thwarting leads to a violent and strange night out with her champion . When she wake up up the next day , Ali discovers that she ’s arise the power to pick up military personnel ’s thoughts - every unmarried one .
Related : What Men Want Trailer : Taraji P. Henson Hears Shaq ’s idea
While on set , we spoke with Taraji P. Henson about her function , how aroused she is to be headline her first clowning ( " The fact that I was think of … I ’m honored … I ’ve done comedy , I have n’t done a comedy . " ) , and how important it is for women to be give more opportunity when it come to roles , not less :
" I ’m kind of a workaholic . I ’ve worked so hard to get to this place in my vocation where my name alone can greenlight a moving-picture show and here we are . It just seems like the work is pick up , which I like this representation for adult female , especially women when we get a fiddling older . They send us out to forage but men - I was mouth to Adam , actually , the theatre director and he was like , ' Men ’s value , even in one dollar bill value , goes up as they get elderly . ' Why does ours decrease when we start to look well as we get older ? That ’s what I fight for and that ’s why I work so heavily , because I ’m trying to break down barriers , make it sluttish for the girls coming up . So they do n’t experience so rushed like , ' I only have this 10 - year span to do what I ask to do . ' That ’s not lawful . "
Playing a character like Ali is a great chance for Henson , andWhat Men Wantis a movie that producer Will Packer state " falls aright in to Taraji ’s sweet spot , " adding :
" She ’s so salutary at forcible clowning , at clowning that is at the same time big but also worked up , like she ’s got depth . And she ’s been doing dramas for so long . One of the earlier conversation I had with her when we were let the cat out of the bag about this pic , she was like , ' I wanna laugh . I have been Cookie for so long . And in my picture show I have been , like , the distressed single mamma with something horrible happening to me . I just wanna have some fun . ' "
As Henson rightly points out , she is n’t really known for her comedic employment . Her biggest roles are often dramatic , like her work inHidden Figuresor her character as Cookie onEmpire . But Henson study melodious comedy while at Howard University , and she actually came to Hollywood with dreams of land a role on a thirty - second situation comedy . Still , she maintains she always tries , " to put singular in everything because such is life . You express joy one minute , you ’re hollo the next . "
Packer was n’t apprehensive at all about Henson handle the drollery . " Everybody acknowledge how incredibly talented she is , " he told us , before adding , " I think mass leave how risible she is . “What Men Wantis certainly the chance for Henson to remind audiences of funny story she can be , and Packer explains it all comes down to her timing : " To see the comedic timing . I ca n’t stress that enough about a drollery . The timing and the calendar method and the way of life it all comes together is so important . "
And actually , it was Henson ’s name being floated as a potential star that got Packer interested in get the film in the first place :
" When he [ the novel head of Paramount Players , Brian Roberts ] came to me , the first affair he said was What Men need . The second affair he said was Taraji . And I was like , oh my gosh , I was like abso - come on - stop it - I hang up with him and called Taraji . This is so pitch stark , tonally perfect , like on power point with kind of like where we are in guild . Of of course you do this version , with Taraji ; with a woman at the sum and that cleaning woman being Taraji . It just really felt like … and look , I get incline a lot of bad remakes and idea of how to vamp stuff . But sometimes you get one that kind of feel like , ' Y’know what ? Okay that ’s amaze a reasonableness to be . ' And that ’s what this feels like . "
Henson have it away she can land the funny and she ’s excited for audiences to at last get to see her in that room . " They know I was funny , but they did not know I had the physical , the physicality of funniness , " she pronounce , discussing a sojourn she received from the studio apartment execs ( " You make out your movie ’s good when all the White House wing out . I ’ve been doing this longsighted enough to know ! " ) . Henson go to explain :
" There ’s funny , and then there ’s Jack Tripper funny . The slapstick , falling over the chair , I do n’t think people sleep with that . So that ’s what ’s go to be most surprising to my fans . Yeah they know I ’m suspicious , but the strong-arm clowning , you ca n’t really learn that . "
Director Adam Shankman absolutely believe Henson has what it withdraw to do strong-arm comedy , stating adamantly that , " Taraji is one of the best physical comedian I ’ve ever work . Period . End of tarradiddle . " According to Shankman , Henson use her soundbox in manner that mimic the " lucky eld " of comedies , and that his only advice to her was but :
" Honey , I ’m just going to put you in a pencil skirt and hound and the balance will bechance . That ’s what makes the funny . The higher the heels , the tight the pencil doll , the funnier it ’s go to get . It ’s that confinement that women put themselves in , they ’re trying to move through lifespan and it ’s sort of like whatever fashion or aphrodisiac does , whatever you ’re battling in life-time , it is n’t cracking armour . "
Get ready to express joy when Taraji P. Henson rocks that pencil skirt and heels inWhat Men Want , releasing January 11th , 2019 . And stay tune up to Screen Rant for more from ourWhat Men Wantset visit !
Next:What Men Want Set Visit Report: What Are Men Really Thinking?
