‘Empire’ Co-Creator Says Mo’Nique Was Not Offered The Role In Hit TV Series
Looks like someone’s not telling the truth about Empire. Actress Mo’Nique has been on a mini press tour after her candid essay about Hollywood grabbed headlines.
In the essay, she said director Lee Daniels told her she was blackballed by Hollywood after her Oscar win for Precious. Although Daniels didn’t tell her why when she asked him, she suspects that it’s because she didn’t play the game in Hollywood, which included campaigning for her Oscar win.
Another revelation that has come out about Mo’Nique is that she was originally offered the part of Cookie on the hit show Empire.
At the time, Mo’Nique said, “Mr. Daniels offered me the part of Cookie, and I have the emails and the sides to go along with it, and what he said was, ‘I’m new to this TV thing. This is just a technicality,… you have the role.’ Okay. I have the emails. Well, four days have gone by because I didn’t receive a phone call or another email for the location of where I was supposed to go to do this screen test.”
The role was eventually given to Taraji P. Henson, who is receiving rave reviews for her role as the matriarch of the Lyon empire. She also stated that she was offered Oprah’s role in Lee Daniels’ The Butler. Now Empire’s co-creator, Danny Strong, is saying that this story is simply not true.
Danny Strong took to Twitter to refute these claims.
Mo’Nique was never offered roles in Empire or The Butler. #SettingRecordStraight @leedanielsent
— Danny Strong (@Dannystrong) February 28, 2015
He then wrote, “Monique is so talented she’s be great in almost anything. But Cookie was always @TherealTaraji.”
The last tweet that he made was retweeted by actress Taraji P. Henson.
@TheGrouchyPuppy Monique is so talented she’d be great in almost anything. But Cookie was always @TherealTaraji
— Danny Strong (@Dannystrong) March 1, 2015
Lee Daniels also went on to refute claims about Mo’Nique’s piece for the Hollywood Reporter.
As the Inquisitr reported, Mo’Nique went on to say that Lee Daniels’ decision to deny these reports is in response to an Oscar snub. When she won her Oscar, Mo’Nique failed to thank the director for his work on Precious.
“I think that those are feelings that Mr. Daniels is having. You know, there were things that Mo’Nique – she didn’t thank the producers, and she didn’t thank the studio, and that’s just not things that you do.’ Well, it had nothing to do with the producers, nor the studio. Mr. Daniels had a problem that I didn’t say his name the night of the Oscar awards.”
Who do you think is telling the truth?
[Image by Lionsgate]
