Since solidifying his partnership with Netflix in 2023, Tyler Perry has brought several original TV shows and movies to the platform. His latest, Straw (2025), stands out as one of his most intense and emotionally charged films to date.
Be fearless in front of them with your ideas as many times as they’ll let you
Written, directed, and produced by Perry, Straw is a psychological drama that follows a single mother who struggles to care for her critically ill daughter. As personal and financial pressures mount, she’s pushed to her breaking point, or, in this case, her last straw.
Leading the film’s ensemble is Oscar nominee Taraji P. Henson, joined by the multi-talented stars Sherri Shepherd and Teyana Taylor.
Read on to discover more about the Straw cast and where you’ve seen them before.
Front and center is award-winning actress Taraji P. Henson, whose sensational career began with the crime drama Streetwise (1998). Since then, she’s achieved prominence with performances in Hustle & Flow (2005) and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008), which earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress.
Henson’s other film credits include Think Like a Man (2012), Hidden Figures (2016), What Men Want (2019), and most recently, The Color Purple (2023).
She’s just as notable on television, playing major roles on Person of Interest (2011–2013) and the hit series Empire (2015–2020), which earned her two Emmy nominations and a Golden Globe win for Best Actress in a Drama Series. Henson has also received Emmy nods for Taken from Me: The Tiffany Rubin Story (2011) and the mockumentary sitcom Abbott Elementary (2023).
Janiyah is a woman who doesn’t have much in life, but she has a lot of love for her child. I’m a single mother, so I understood her journey and her struggles
It’s been a while since we’ve seen Emmy winner Sherri Shepherd flex her acting chops in a scripted role. Lately, she’s been more known for co-hosting The View (2007–2014) and her own daytime talk show, Sherri (2022–present).
But longtime fans will remember Shepherd from her many scene-stealing roles in shows like Everybody Loves Raymond (1998–2003), The Jamie Foxx Show (1999–2001), 30 Rock (2007–2012), Mr. Iglesias (2019–2021), and The Sex Lives of College Girls (2021–2024).
She also competed on season 14 of Dancing With the Stars, where she and partner Val Chmerkovskiy were the third duo eliminated.
In Straw, Shepherd plays Nicole, the bank branch manager caught in the middle of Janiyah’s desperate stand.
During a recent episode of The View, Shepherd opened up about why the role hit so close to home, explaining, “I just connected to this character. I am a mother, and everybody knows about my son … everybody knows about my relationship with my son, and … that strength and sisterhood is what drew me to the character.”
