Taraji P. Henson broke down in an interview over the possibility of quitting acting due to not being paid fairly.

The 53-year-old The Color Purple star also explained how a $10 million paycheck might not be as much as it sounds like.

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During a SiriusXM interview with Gayle King, she was asked about a rumor that she might step away from acting.

Taraji immediately grew emotional, saying, “I’m just tired of working so hard, being gracious at what I do [and] getting paid a fraction of the cost. I’m tired of hearing my sisters say the same thing over and over. You get tired. I hear people go, ‘You work a lot.’ Well, I have to. The math ain’t math-ing. When you start working a lot, you have a team. Big bills come with what we do. We don’t do this alone. It’s a whole team behind us. They have to get paid.”

She then explained how Hollywood paychecks actually work, adding, “When you hear someone go, ‘Such and such made $10 million,’ that didn’t make it to their account.”

She continued, “Off the top, Uncle Sam [the government] is getting 50%. Now have $5 million. Your team is getting 30% off what you gross, not after what Uncle Sam took. Now do the math. I’m only human. Every time I do something and break another glass ceiling, when it’s time to renegotiate I’m at the bottom again like I never did what I just did and I’m tired. I’m tired. It wears on you. What does that mean? What is that telling me? If I can’t fight for them coming up behind me then what the f-ck am I doing?”

At this point in the interview, Taraji grew very emotional.

She then relayed that she often gets told that Black stories “don’t translate overseas,” which is used as an excuse by executives with regard to pay scales.

“I’m tired hearing of that my entire career. Twenty plus years in the game and I hear the same thing and I see what you do for another production but when it’s time to go to bat for us they don’t have enough money. And I’m just supposed to smile and grin and bear it. Enough is enough! That’s why I have other [brands] because this industry, if you let it, it will steal your soul. I refuse to let that happen,” she continued.

Taraji and her co-stars are currently earning rave reviews for The Color Purple. The film opens on Christmas day.