Taraji P. Henson On 'No Good Deed', Idris Elba

In No Good Deed Idris Elba is the villain and Taraji P. Henson is the terrified mother who must save herself and her child. If you’re surprised to see Elba in the bad guy role, remember he did come to the attention of American audiences playing a coldhearted drug dealer on The Wire.

“I always thought he’d make a great bad guy because the most charming charismatic people do. You don’t want the audience to hate the bad guy,” Henson says. “Don’t you love Denzel playing the bad guy? You secretly want him to get away. Idris is like that in this.”

In No Good Deed Elba is an escaped convict who forces his way into Henson’s house and terrorizes her in her home.

“My character Terry, she never has a jumped on moment. she’s a fighter, she is fierce. He knocked on the wrong door this here night,” says Henson. “And her babies are with her? She has a toddler and an infant in a car seat, in a cradle. Mothers have been known to lift a cars off a baby. When that danger kicks in and your children are involved it takes your survival skills to another level.”

Henson is coming soon to the TV screen in the Lee Daniels-produced series Empire which is expected to debut on Fox next year. In the meantime, you can also see her in Think Like A Man Too which is out today on DVD. Henson won’t provide many details about the movie, so expect that things don’t turn out exactly as you might think. In real life, Henson says that her mother was robbed twice and that experience probably informed her portrayal of Terry in the movie.

“I remember that like it was yesterday,” Henson says. When something tragic happens in your life, you remember. In this movie, it shows you you never have to be a victim, you can always fight back.”