AceShowbiz - Taraji P. Henson dreamed of becoming a comedy star when she first arrived in Hollywood.

The "Empire" actress wanted to front TV sitcoms, because she thought the schedule would be a better fit for a young, single mum, but executives didn't share her vision.

"I started off my career early on and I was booking sitcoms...," she told breakfast show "Today" on Monday, February 04. "So I was like, 'Yes, I'm going to book a sitcom', and then I booked (2001 movie drama) 'Baby Boy'. And then after that, it was serious role after serious role and I was like, 'One day I'll be funny I guess'."

It took Taraji almost 20 years to realise her comedy dream as the star of new movie "What Men Want".

The film's release comes exactly 20 years after the 48-year-old first arrived in Hollywood as a single mum with a big dream, and she is still in awe at her own fearlessness that drove her success.

"You know when you're 20, you're fearless...," she added. "If I had to do it again now, I probably would. It would take a lot of encouragement from family and friends, but back then I had the whole world ahead of me and I wasn't afraid."

"I knew I had a safety net (with my parents), so I wasn't afraid to take that leap. I was trained, I went to college, I felt like I had all the tools for success and then I had this kid looking at me like, 'Mum', so it's like I have to succeed for him because if I fail then what am I teaching him?".

Taraji's journey was rewarded last month (January 2019), when she unveiled a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.