The 2000 hit film, Baby Boy, starring Taraji P. Henson and Tyrese Gibson has quickly become an urban classic and introduced the feisty talent of Henson to the world. Now, the audition tape that started it all has surfaced and fans are able to see the impeccable talent displayed that skyrocketed Henson's career.
The character Yvette, played by Henson in the 2000 John Singleton film Baby Boy, introduced film watchers to her infamous phrases from the movie like, "Jody, my Jody," and "I'ma cook, I'ma clean, you put it down." Her character was that of an overbearing, mouthy young woman who had grown tired of Jody's (Gibson) cheating ways, although she was desperately in love with him.
In the film, viewers saw explosive scenes from the two, filled with verbal and even one physical altercation that captured the full attention of the audience. The on-screen chemistry between Henson and Gibson didn't come to life during the actual filming, instead developing during the beginning, with the audition.
According to Vibe, the one minute long footage of the audition surfaced on the Internet only two days after Henson received her Golden Globe award for Best Actress in a TV Drama for her role as Cookie in Empire. In the scene, you see Henson getting into a loud verbal dispute with Gibson over his cheating ways and his frequent visits to strip clubs according to the site.
Though Gibson brought an immense amount of talent to the film, the role was originally slated for another young talented black actor. According Madame Noire, the late rapper/actor Tupac Shakur was set to take on the role before his untimely death in 1996. After his death, Singleton went on the hunt for the new Jody and casted Gibson.
Since the film, Gibson and Henson's on-screen chemistry has even continued off screen. Henson has been seen accompanying Gibson to star studded events and he has also shared photos of her on his Instagram account, captioned with endearing words of his love and admiration for her and her many accomplishments.
A photo posted by TYRESE (@tyrese) on Jan 11, 2016 at 1:39am PST
Referring to Henson as a "power house" in the post, Gibson describes how proud he is of her and her many accomplishments stating, "you represent what's possible...," and letting the world know that she "will forever be introduced as ladies and gentleman please welcome#OscarNominated and #GoldEnGlobeaward winning actress @tarajiphenson#Legacy #HardWork #determination#Driven #ambition #noshortcuts#OurAmericanShero I love you forever......."
Maybe one day in the future, fans will be able to see the two reunite on screen but, until then, we have Baby Boy and this awesome audition tape to enjoy.
