Taraji P. Henson channelled 'rage' at ex for Acrimony thriller

Actress Taraji P. Henson knew exactly how to portray a woman scorned in Tyler Perry's Acrimony, because she once caught a cheating boyfriend in the act.

The Hidden Figures star plays loyal wife Melinda, who sets out to take revenge on her unfaithful husband in the new thriller, which filmmaker Tyler Perry wrote with Taraji in mind, likening the movie to 1987 classic Fatal Attraction.

"Taraji was the only person I thought that could pull this off...," the Gone Girl actor told breakfast show Today in a joint interview. "She's amazing in it."

"Mr. Perry kinda sold me," the Oscar nominee smiled. "He said, 'Trust me Taraji, it's your Glenn Close and Fatal Attraction moment,' and I'm like, 'I'm in!'."

The character of Melinda proved to be a perfect fit for Taraji, because it allowed her to channel old feelings of resentment she once had for a former lover.

"Love makes you do crazy things," she admitted. "I've been in situations where I look back and go, 'Ooh, I might have been a little off there, what was I thinking?'. It's this rage that takes over. (But) I've never busted a car window... 'cause I don't wanna go to jail!"

Instead, Taraji was able to channel that anger into her actions onscreen, quipping of the film, "It's all the things I wish I could have done, but I never acted on!"

She added of finding her man with another woman: "That hurts. That's a hard pill to swallow, when you've given up everything (for them)."

"That's why she was so good at it!," Tyler joked. "She tapped into something in playing this role. I was like, 'She ain't acting, that was real (sic)!'"

Taraji never named the ex who did her wrong, but she has since found love with former American footballer Kelvin Hayden, who she has been dating for over two years.