The Empress of 'Empire'

BEVERLY HILLS — Taraji, Taraji, Taraji

Well yes, there are other actors on Fox and in Empire — some very good ones, in fact. But there's no question the season's break-out star was Taraji P. Henson as the show's scheming, screaming ex-con diva Cookie Lyon.

So how is Henson doing? "I'm having the time of my life."

Speaking at the Television Critics Association press tour, Henson was asked how much of Cookie is her, and how much comes from the show's creator Lee Daniels. "Probably 80 percent is Cookie, and 20 percent is Taraji…I'm not as bold as she is. She can fly off the handle and say whatever she wants. I, however, can not."

And neither can we, so we can't quote producer Ilene Chaiken's bolder-is-better goal for this season. Let's just say it involves breaking the old-fashioned TV mold — even if doing so can be frightening.

"I'm just always blown away by the stories they come up with," Henson says. "It's always challenging me as an artist, to tell the truth and not be afraid."

A lot of good things have come Henson's way thanks to Empire, including an Emmy nomination for best actress in a drama. But success can also have its drawbacks, which is why she says she's taken on a maternal role with the actors who play her sons, telling them to save their money and not buy into all the hype.

"We have become a family. I don't know anybody in to Chicago (where the show shoots). So they constantly come over to my house and I cook for them. They're like my sons."

"I'm so proud of the cast," says Daniels. "To be part of the discovery for Yazz (Bryshere Gray) and Jussie (Smollett) and see how they're handling it, not just the work, and how they're growing...It's crazy and it's exciting."

There are, Daniels says, many things to celebrate about Empire and its success — and he's thrilled with it. But one thing that does not thrill him is when people refer to it as a "black" show about the "black experience."

"It's not a black experience. I happen to be black. I happen to be gay. It's not that. It's a true experience...And that's what's rattling people. It's truth. It's unsettling."