Taraji P. Henson would "love" to be in a relationship.

The 47-year-old actress - who has a 23-year-old son called Marcell with her deceased ex-partner William Johnson - has revealed she is looking for love, but says her jam-packed work schedule doesn't allow her to waste time on dead-end relationships.

Taraji explained: "I would love to [be in a relationship], but he has to see how I move and deal with it. Because I don't have time to explain. I've got work to do."

The career-focused star has four films scheduled for release in 2018.

And Taraji has called on fellow actresses to be more supportive of their female counterparts, especially in Hollywood.

Speaking to the new issue of Marie Claire magazine, Taraji shared: "How can we get ahead if we're feuding and hating on each other all the time? I made a pact years ago that I would never hate on another female, ever, especially in this industry."

Taraji revealed her ambition is to become a source of inspiration for aspiring actresses from the African-American community.

She hopes that, one day, would-be stars admire her as she admired the likes of Meryl Streep during her younger years.

Taraji said: "I love black people. I love telling stories. I want these little girls to study me like I studied Meryl and Bette Davis and Carol Burnett.

"I want them to study my work, because I put a lot of work in, a lot of blood, sweat, and tears."

But despite her lofty career ambitions, Taraji intends to stay grounded in reality.

In fact, the award-winning star revealed she still does her own laundry, because it helps her to remain unaffected by the trappings of fame.

She explained: "That keeps me normal. That keeps me feeling like, 'Yeah, I'm not too Hollywood.'"