Taraji P. Henson and Tyler Perry love working together. The duo have a collaborative relationship that’s produced three films so far and changed the game for Henson’s career, after Perry became the first Hollywood executive to both give her a leading role and pay her a fair wage. The Color Purple star has spoken often about pay disparity in the movie industry and her personal struggle to be compensated fairly, even after being nominated for an Oscar in 2008 for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. After the ceremony, Perry reportedly called Henson, offering her her first leading role in I Can Do Bad All by Myself.
Before that, they’d worked together in 2008’s The Family That Preys. “I’m grateful to Tyler for putting me on the road to being paid my worth. It was he who gave me a fair wage to star in his movie, which ultimately raised my quote — the baseline pay I could negotiate going into subsequent movie deals,” the actress wrote in her 2016 memoir, Around the Way Girl.
Their third, and so far, final project together was the 2018 psychological thriller film Acrimony in which Henson plays a scorned ex-wife with violent tendencies in search of revenge after her over-achieving husband spends all their savings on a passion project. The movie was not well received by critics or audiences, but Perry’s status and Henson’s talent have made it a cult classic, with many hoping the story will get a continuation via a sequel.
Is Acrimony 2 happening?
Despite speculation and a fair share of fake fan posters circulating on social media, there have been no official reports about a possible Acrimony sequel. The film, however, has just undergone a renaissance online after a recent showing on BET triggered the debate again about which party was right in the film’s conflict.
Simultaneously, American comedian and actor Desi Banks’ comments on the lack of support from an ex-girlfriend when he was starting out in comedy, and a viral TikTok rant from user ReesaTeesa about dating a narcissistic pathological liar drew comparisons to the movie, even incentivizing those who had never watched the movie to change that scenario.
Acrimony might be sporting a harsh 18% rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, but it’s clearly left a mark on those who’ve watched it and still use it as a cultural reference for present-day events. The recent buzz and its much friendlier 61% audience score might just motivate Lionsgate and Tyler Perry Studios to make that sequel after all.
