“Straw”: Tyler Perry Teams Up With Taraji P. Henson, Teyana Taylor, and Sherri Shepherd for Gritty New Netflix Thriller
Tyler Perry Studios is preparing to drop another pulse-pounding project, and this time, it comes with a powerful social message at its core. The prolific filmmaker’s latest project, “Straw“, is set to premiere on Netflix on June 6, and it’s a sharp departure from glossy thrillers or melodramas—this one is grounded, raw, and rooted in the real-life struggles that many people, especially single mothers, face daily.
“Straw” Premise
Starring Taraji P. Henson, Teyana Taylor, Sherri Shepherd, and a powerhouse supporting cast, “Straw” dives deep into the unraveling life of a woman pushed to her breaking point. According to Netflix’s synopsis, the film follows Janiyah, a single mother who endures a day that goes from bad to worse, then spirals into catastrophic. With a sick child at home and a world that seems blind to her struggles, she must navigate a series of impossible choices in a society where safety nets are flimsy at best—or nonexistent.
Henson, who plays the lead role of Janiyah, says the story hits close to home. A single mother herself, Henson related deeply to her character’s emotional terrain.
“Janiyah is a woman who doesn’t have much in life, but she has a lot of love for her child,” Henson told Entertainment Weekly. “I’m a single mother, so I understood her journey and her struggles. She’s a single mother trying to make the best of the cards that she’s been dealt in life. She finds herself in a horrible situation where one of those days, you wake up and everything that could go wrong goes wrong. It’s about how she maneuvers through it.”
The film serves as more than just a suspenseful ride—it’s a commentary on how marginalized individuals, especially women of color in vulnerable positions, are too often overlooked by the very systems meant to support them.
“If you’re a struggling single mother, you can’t always pay for that regular lunch, and children who can’t afford that regular lunch get a separate lunch. And you know what happens then? Kids start teasing your kid,” Henson said. “As parents, we feel our children’s pain deeper than them, and so that meant a lot to her. She’s like, ‘I just need to go make sure my baby eats the regular lunch so she’s not teased.’”
“Straw” will showcase how a seemingly minor injustice—something as simple as a school lunch—can become a breaking point in a life already stretched thin. In Janiyah’s world, every small decision has weight, and each misstep is amplified by the fragile infrastructure surrounding her.
Adding to the film’s intensity is its breakneck production timeline. In true Tyler Perry fashion, “Straw” was shot in just four days, a feat that’s almost unheard of in traditional Hollywood settings. Henson, who was simultaneously working on another project, “Fight Night”, praised Perry’s precision and speed.
“To think we shot in four days while I was still working on ‘Fight Night.’ But that’s what I like about Tyler Perry; he’s fast, and I can be fast, too,” she said. “He knew he had a limited amount of time with me. He used it wisely…The subject matter is a bit dark, so I was happy to only live in this character’s world for four days, because that energy is transferable, and it kind of sticks with you. So I was happy to get in and get out real quick. And it was very different from any other character I’ve ever played.”
With Perry behind the camera and Henson in a leading role that promises to stretch her dramatic range, “Straw” is shaping up to be more than just a thriller—it’s a gripping story about survival, dignity, and the quiet, daily battles that go unnoticed in plain sight.
Whether it becomes a summer hit or simply sparks necessary conversations about systemic inequities, Straw is poised to leave an impression. “Straw” is streaming on Netflix on June 6.
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