{blackbabes} Taraji P. Henson: Cookie is based on my dad

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Taraji P. Henson didn't have to look far for inspiration to play Cookie on "Empire."

The actress, 44, told Allure magazine that she based the popular character on someone very near and dear to her heart: her late father, Boris.

"She's based on my dad," Henson told the magazine. "He shot straight from the hip. He said whatever came to mind, and most times it was the [truth]. You either love or hate a person like that."

According to the actress, who until the Fox drama was mainly known for her roles in movies like "Hustle and Flow" and "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," her father knew a moment like this wasn't far off.

He even told her so on his death bed.

"He looked at me and said, 'This ain't nothing … You're going to be a sensation,'" she said. "I mean he looked off as if he saw this moment happening."

Henson, and "Empire," will return for a second season in September.