‘Ralph Breaks the Internet’: Taraji P. Henson on Joining the Disney Family

While Ralph Breaks the Internet saw the return of franchise favorite characters like Wreck-It Ralph, Vanellope, Fix-It Felix and Calhoun, the film is lifted by it’s incredibly interesting roster of new characters. Of course, this includes the Internet algorithm Yesss, played to perfection by Taraji P. Henson.

Best known for her role as Cookie on Empire, or her fearless portrayal of Katherine G. Johnson in Hidden Figures, Henson brings a surprising amount of fun and flair to Yesss in a way only she can. During the press junket for Ralph Breaks the Internet, Henson spoke with ComicBook.com about first hearing that she had received an offer to join the ever-expanding Disney family, which was a major change of pace for her.

“I was like, ‘Yes, I’ll do it,’” Henson said. “That’s a check off of my bucket list. I grew up on Disney animated films. I’m a huge Disney fan, like Toy Story, Bug’s Life and Lion King, my top three favorites of all times, and Jungle Book, back in the day. I mean come on, I am a part of the Disney film, family, I have a Disney animated film under my belt.”

Not only did Henson get to appear in a Disney animated movie, but her character was in the same film as the entire lineup of Disney Princesses, who play a major part in Ralph Breaks the Internet. From Snow White to Moana, every Disney Princess made her way into this Internet adventure, and Henson had a hard time deciding which one she was most excited to see on-screen alongside her character.

“Oh God, I don’t know, I guess all of them because like Cinderella, the Little Mermaid, I did a lot of Little Mermaid in college musical theater. It was just very… it was a nostalgic moment. You know that’s when you realize all the beauty that Disney has released. All the incredible films, animated films that they have given us over the years when you see it like that. You know you forget. It’s like oh my God yeah, that’s the moment I had. It was just very nostalgic.”

As mentioned, Yesss was a massive change of pace for Henson, who has played a ton of serious, emotional roles over the years. She took this movie as the opportunity to finally have a little light-hearted fun.

“Finally, I get to laugh, jeez Louise, everything’s so heavy and weighted,” she joked. “And finally I get to laugh and to be funny. I’m a musical theater kid and you know a lot of musical theater is comedy. So that’s what I come from. I don’t know why these people in Hollywood, they got this serious actress, okay. It was good to laugh and not… a lot of days I would go into the studio in Chicago so I’m coming off of Cookie, I need a break from her. I need lightness. Yes. This was really good. A great departure from her.”

You can catch Taraji P. Henson in Disney’s Ralph Breaks the Internet, currently playing in theaters.