Taraji P. Henson says love is the "search for understanding".

Taraji P. Henson

Taraji P. Henson

The 48-year-old actress has commented on polarising political opinions, saying that people with different views are not "listening" to one another, as she insists that the key to uniting people is to understand differing opinions.

Speaking to People magazine, she said: "We don't have opposite sides of the table try to sit down and figure it out, all we have are attacks, and people [saying] 'You said, you did', blah blah blah. No-one's listening. And love, when you really talk about love, it's the search for understanding."

The 'Empire' star has long been an advocate for equality, and recently called for more opportunities for women and people of colour whilst giving a speech as she received her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

She said: "I fight for roles that will break through glass ceilings so that these young women coming behind me, they won't have the same narrative that we have.

"We can't drop the torch now, ladies out there, anybody in the industry, but we also need our men.

"That's why I love men, I protect them because we need each other. We can't bash each other, we have to reach across the table and help each other."

Taraji - who is engaged to retired American football cornerback Kelvin Hayden - was also recently asked to imagine a world without sexism, in which she believes she would earn a lot more money.

The 'What Men Want' actress said: "I would probably be a billionaire by now. I'd have more zeros in my bank account, for sure."