Taraji P. Henson hopes there is still a chance to end “Empire” right.
The final season of the hit series was to say goodbye with its 20th episode; unfortunately for the crew and fans alike, the coronavirus pandemic forced a change of plans.
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Producers put together a last-minute series finale using episode 18 and scenes shot for 19, but the result left storylines unresolved, including whether Henson’s Loki and Terrence Howard’s Lucious survived their assassination attempts.
Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Henson wished that somehow they will be able to conclude “Empire” properly.
“These posts and DMs that I’m getting, they are heart-wrenching,” she said. “As an artist, to not be able to finish something that you started, that hurts me. I feel incomplete. I don’t ever start something and don’t complete it. And so, for me, it’s deep; I have to finish, or this will haunt me for the rest of my life and career. As it would the audience. And I don’t think we should deprive such a loyal fan base of that ending. They deserve to be in their feelings. They deserve more than this abrupt ending. And I get it, where we are right now, we have to be responsible. But I think when the dust settles, at the end of the day, the audience deserves it. Because they pay my bills!”
In an interview with Deadline, showrunner Brett Mahoney suggested that while it is unlikely more of the show will be filmed, the producers may find a way to conclude the story for fans.
“[W]e will find some creative way, whether it’s just releasing the script or something, we’ll get it out there as to what it was intended,” Mahoney said. “But I don’t want to give it away now. I will tell you, though, the spirit that you see in this piece is similar to the spirit in which we intended to end the series.”
