Taraji P. Henson may be one of Hollywood’s biggest TV stars, but that doesn’t mean she can’t still live a “normal” life!

“It’s weird because I’ve been [acting] for so long. It took a character like Cookie to expose me to the world in a way that I’ve never been exposed before,” the 45-year-old actress said of portraying Cookie Lyon on her hit new show, Empire.

taraji p. henson 'empire' getty images

Taraji as Cookie on Empire.

Though Taraji — who just won her first Golden Globe award for her exceptional performance in the popular FOX series — has had previous success starring on shows including Person of Interest, she admitted her Empire fame has forced her to adjust to the paparazzi always recognizing and following her!

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“I love to shop at Target and I love to do my own grocery shopping, but that’s become difficult with the paparazzi,” she admitted. “It’s like, ‘Where were y’all, like, 10 years ago?'”

“You have got to take the good with the bad. The good side is I [now] can get into any restaurant,” she joked.