*Leonardo DiCaprio has given his stamp of approval to an unexpected nickname from his co-star Teyana Taylor. The 35-year-old actress casually called the 51-year-old Oscar winner “Pops” while discussing their film during an interview at the 2026 Critics Choice Awards on Sunday (Jan. 4).
As PEOPLE reports, Taylor was explaining her preparation process for playing Perfidia in “One Battle After Another” when she dropped the affectionate term. “Preparing for Perfidia was a lot of conversation with P [director Paul Thomas Anderson], good conversation, you know?” Taylor told E! News about her character. “Really building those layers and color-coordinating those layers and making sure we set it up for Perfidia to fall back for baby girl Willa to rise and take on these battles along with Pops right here.”
When E! News asked DiCaprio how he felt about the nickname, his response was positive. “Love it. Love it. Whatever she wants to call me,” the actor responded.
The two stars “first met at Diana Ross’s birthday party some years back and instantly became best buds,” Taylor said in a September interview with The New York Times. “That’s my wingman, my partner in crime!” she added of DiCaprio
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In the Paul Thomas Anderson-directed film, Taylor and DiCaprio play a couple involved with a revolutionary political organization who have a daughter together. Taylor portrays Perfidia Beverly Hills, a resistance fighter who abandons her child at birth and vanishes for 16 years before her history catches up with her. DiCaprio’s character is a former revolutionary drawn back into danger when his daughter is kidnapped by a corrupt military official.
The ensemble production also features Sean Penn, Benicio del Toro, Regina Hall, Chase Infiniti, Wood Harris, and Alana Haim. After its September theatrical premiere, “One Battle After Another” gained momentum as an awards-season contender and became available on HBO Max on December 19.
The film won Best Picture at the Critics Choice Awards along with Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay honors for Anderson, who loosely adapted the 1990 Thomas Pynchon novel “Vineland.” The Warner Bros. release leads Golden Globe nominations with nine total nods ahead of the Jan. 11 ceremony.
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