Warning: This article contains plot details from Tuesday’sEmpireseries finale, “Home Is on the Way.”
“To the Empire!”
With those words,Empireis over… for now.
Chuck Hodes/FOX
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Were only hours from the finale airing, so how are you feeling?
Are there mixed emotions considering this isnt what you envisioned?
TARAJI P. HENSON:Its pretty sad.
Chuck Hodes/FOX
BRETT MAHONEY:And it was such an abrupt way that everything was shut down.
So you just feel like you were cut short.
Its not what we had hoped for, but its what we have in the moment.
Chuck Hodes/FOX
That big final performance from Hakeem felt like a fittingEmpireend, even if it wasnt intended to be.
MAHONEY:The flashbacks were not in the original script.
Taraji, you havent seen the final episode yet, right?
Like you dont even know what the end will look like.
HENSON:I have no idea.
I will find out with the audience.
Im excited, because its the first time in myEmpirecareer where I dont know whats happening.
MAHONEY:[Laughs] I hope that you will be pleased.
HENSON:Im sure I will be.
You had to pull a rabbit out of a hat, like a purple rabbit with a unicorn horn.
So Im sure its going to be incredible.
But thats what we do.
Our show is good working under fire and under pressure.
MAHONEY:Very true.
What can you say about the ending that we sadly didnt get to see?
HENSON:Im pushing for that.
Just know that Cookie is pushing!
These posts and DMs that Im getting, they are heart-wrenching.
As an artist, to not be able to finish something that you started, that hurts me.
I dont ever start something and dont complete it.
As it would the audience.
And I dont think we should deprive such a loyal fan base of that ending.
They deserve to be in their feelings.
They deserve more than this abrupt ending.
And I get it, where we are right now, we have to be responsible.
But I think when the dust settles, at the end of the day, the audience deserves it.
Because they pay my bills!
[Both laugh]
MAHONEY:All our bills!
And those answers are in our true finale, so I would really like to give that to them.
What did you both enjoy about finally exploring that?
And that very much tied into Cookies journey.
I dont want to be strong all the time.
I have moments where I go into my closet, shut the door, and cry real tears.
I allow myself to be that vulnerable.
That means I cant feel anything.
My son gets gunned down in the street and Im supposed to just forgive everybody and move on.
Im supposed to be okay with that, Im supposed to rise above.
At the end of the day, thats not fair.
Thats not fair to me as a human, so dont put that on me.
MAHONEY:For me, that was the evolution of our whole arc.
But thats only because she wasnt believing in herself and what she could do.
HENSON:And that was so beautiful, because it shifts the paradigm a bit.
Why did they do this to me?
And thats why I ended up in jail for 17 years!
She could not blame anyone else anymore.
And that is when you are truly free.
I hope they were able to do that through this show and this family.
You mention the Cookie and Lucious scene.
What do we think their future looks like?
Can they ever truly be happy and together?
Cookie had a line where she said she can love him but not be in love with him.
HENSON:You go ahead, because we butted heads on this, Brett.
[Both laugh]
MAHONEY:We did.
HENSON:As friends!
[Both laugh] I dont know, I see where that can happen.
I understand that the audience will die if Cookie and Lucious cant be together.
But Im a little bit on the grimy side.
When I say grimy, I mean life doesnt get tied up like that all the time.
I really honestly dont know how it ends, so Im guessing youre saying that its still open-ended.
MAHONEY:It depends on how you view it.
They definitely come together.
Theres nothing we cant do."
Yeah, I think its open-ended a bit.
We dont think theyre guaranteed to live happily ever after together.
HENSON:Thats good, leave the audience with whatever they want to think.
They can create their own story.
HENSON:They both morphed into their better selves.
What have this time, show, and characters meant to you?
That was just an eye-opener and blessing for me.
Who knew a television show could do that on that level?
It was the ride of my life.
I will never forget this opportunity.
I mean, thank you, God.
Everyday I say, “Thank you, God” for this blessing ofEmpire.
MAHONEY:The show made a tremendous difference in the careers of all these artists of color.
I think thats a lesson that weve learned fromEmpire: Diversity works.
HENSON:If you tell the truth and stick to stories that transcend color, people will come!
Like, how am I able to relate toFriendsorSex and the City?
I relate to that because thats my girlfriends.
So I knew that mothers of any race would get that and they did.
MAHONEY:And it was that rawness and truth that really reached the audience.
What we got to do with the show was depicting culture, but also sometimes educating and leading culture.
HENSON:Thats why I became an artist, because I know how art changed my life.
Thats the only jot down of work Im interested in.
So if youre ready to push the envelope, lets do it.
