Allison Kugel of PR.com recently interviewed beautiful and talented actress Taraji P. Henson. The two ladies talked about Taraji’s role as Jaden Smith’s mother in this years remake of “The Karate Kid“, working for Will and Jada Smith, how Beijing culture is a lot different than what she’s used to, and much more.
Below are a few highlights:
PR.com: “How did you go about bonding with Jaden Smith to create that mother/son dynamic that comes across on the screen?”
Taraji P. Henson: “Before we went away to Beijing, we had rehearsals here in California for like a two week period. That gave us a chance to bond here, and then once we got to Beijing we had more rehearsal time and alone time. Will and Jada, they just created such an easy and free atmosphere and they gave us the space to create that bond. He is like one of my friends for life, that little kid. I love him, and I kind of feel like I’m his mom in a weird way (laughs); a screen mom, if you will.”
PR.com: “Will and Jada Smith were very hands on as producers?”
Taraji P. Henson: “Very hands on. Any time I had a problem I could call them and they would sort it out. I don’t really have problems (laughs), I’m pretty low maintenance, but that’s how accessible they were. And we continued to rehearse every day too, so that Jaden and I could build a relationship, so before we actually started filming I would see them every day in rehearsals and we would sit and bang out the script and each moment. It was great.”
PR.com: “What was it like having to live there for a while and immerse yourself into the Chinese culture?”
Taraji P. Henson: “At first when you land, it’s like “Oh my God, I’m so excited!” You’re there for awhile and then you realize it’s a communist country and you ain’t in Kansas City anymore, you know? I kind of take on things sometimes, and I felt myself a little depressed sometimes. I had to snap myself out of it. It’s just a different way of living.”
