Even with all her success, Taraji P. Henson has moments when she's tempted to give up.

The actress and her Color Purple costar Danielle Brooks sat down with EW's The Awardist to discuss their upcoming movie musical, and in the interview Henson emotionally discussed her struggles as a Black woman in Hollywood.

"I've been doing this for two decades and there were times when I just wanted to quit, because I'm tired of fighting. And what pains my heart is that I don't want to hear these babies have the same fight," Henson said as she grabbed Brooks by the arm. "My prayer is that the work and the fight and the struggle is to make it easier for them, because I was the little girl that wished and saw these women, these incredible women, [and thought,] 'I want to do that one day.' And then you start doing it and you know how hard it is for us."

'The Color Purple'.

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She continued: "I'm like, how can I make it different? How can I make it better? So that this little girl out there is like, 'I want to do that.' I don’t want to have to… I don't want to hear her talk about the same things that me and my sisters have been fighting for for so many years. If I'm not in a position to make it better for those coming behind me, what am I doing?"

Henson recognizes the impact of her profession, and her belief in the power of creativity is what keeps her persisting. "Art saves lives, art changes lives, I know how important this craft that we've been blessed with — I know how important this is to humanity," she said. "I get this position, this coveted position in this industry that never gives us a break, and sometimes I just get so enraged, because it's like, I've done all of this! But what about all this other — that doesn't count for anything? It's almost like every time I've got to start from scratch!"

The Color Purple hits theaters Dec. 25. Watch the video above for more from the cast. 

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