Teyana Taylor is a “sponge” around her A-list co-stars.
Teyana Taylor has been learning from her co-stars
The 34-year-old actress recently starred alongside the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, Benicio del Toro, and Regina Hall in One Battle After Another, the Paul Thomas Anderson-directed action thriller film, and Tayana admits that she’s consciously trying to learn from her co-stars.
She told The Hollywood Reporter: “Imagine having these legends for teachers.
“You think I’m about to fall asleep in class? No. I’m going to open that notebook, pen to pad. I’m here to be a sponge. Even when I’m teaching, I’m a student. And I’m a straight-A student.”
Paul Thomas Anderson relished the experience of working with Teyana, too, describing the actress as a “special” talent.
The acclaimed filmmaker explained: “When we did our costume fittings and camera tests, a type of metamorphosis happened. It’s the dancer energy that she brings.
“When the costume comes on and the situation is authentic, she really lights up and starts to go. Early on, we shot her running at full speed at sundown. I think it’s when the crew realised we were working with someone special who was going to thrill us.”
Teyana has tried her hand at various things over the years, including acting, singing, modelling and directing. As a result, she’s now really relishing her recent successes.
She said: “You can see my patience being in this game since I was 15, doing a little bit of everything.
“This moment hits a lot harder than it would’ve if everything had gone my way when I wanted it to.”
Elsewhere, Taraji P. Henson – Tayana’s showbiz pal – has confessed to being wowed by the actress’ versatility.
Taraji believes the wider world is now waking up to her friend’s talents.
She explained: “She’s just that girl. They always tell you in this business that you’ve got to choose a lane, that nobody’s good at everything. Well, guess who is?”
Meanwhile, Tayana previously likened her versatility to being a “universal charger”.
The movie star also revealed that she used to dream of being a “big actress and a go-to director”.
She told i-D magazine: “You can plug me in anywhere you see a socket. Best believe, that’s where I’m going to be. I’m a universal charger baby. I got the prongs for everything.
“I can do everything. I would tell myself, I’m going to be a big actress and a go-to director. And I did everything I said I would do – but in divine time. I didn’t force it.”