Photographed by Warwick Saint, "Hidden Figures" stars Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer and Janelle Monáe covers ESSENCE’s February 2017 cover in all black/metallic ensemble.
For the cover story, Taraji shares with Essence the importance to making a movie like "Hidden Figures" for our young girls. "When I was growing up, people told me out of their mouths math and science are for boys;" Taraji divulges with Essence editor Cori Murphy. "I was told that over and over. Like, no one showed me how to fall in love with numbers. If I had a teacher like Mrs. Johnson, who knows, I might be on the moon..."
Songstress Janelle Monáe really surprised me with her acting ability. Her performance in "Moonlight" and now "Hidden Figures" was utterly flawless and I cannot wait to see more from her. Monáe shared her thoughts on the sisterhood in the film.
"They knew that they were stronger together…I think they would not have achieved the level of success they did had they not had one another…"
Academy Award winner Octavia Spencer, who portrays Dorothy Vaughan, discusses impact of her character in the film. "This woman is the mother of all girls who code – Black, White, Latin, Asian, Indian. It all began with Dorothy Vaughn."
"Hidden Figures" won the most covet award at the 2017 Screen Actors Guild Awards this past Sunday for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture. During the acceptance speech, Taraji calls for peace and unity due to the political strain our country is currently under.
"This story is of unity," Taraji declares during her acceptance speech. "This story is about what happens when we put our differences aside and we come together as a human race. We win. Love wins every time."
The film is also nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards next month. View the ladies' editorial spread below!
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