*Fresh off her Ebony Power 100 win for Entertainer of the Year, multi-hyphenate star Teyana Taylor spoke with EUR about how she looks at her career in this era and her starring role in “One Battle After Another,” the new Paul Thomas Anderson action thriller where Taylor brings to life Perfidia Beverly Hills, a revolutionary and mother whose conviction comes with heavy consequences.
When asked what the title “entertainer” means to her now, Taylor shared that it’s about much more than fame.
“Entertainer for me stands for the resilience, the work that it takes, the prayer that it takes, the trust in God that it takes,” she said. “Not just how we entertain people, but how you navigate something — that’s an entertainer to me.”
In the film, Taylor’s character embodies that same tension between strength and exhaustion.
“My girl was up in there running, shooting guns, all types of stuff. I was whooped,” she laughed. “But what stretched me the most was her layers… she’s complex. It felt good to play a woman who stood ten toes down on who she is — even when she was flawed.”
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Taylor said portraying Perfidia gave her permission to show imperfection on screen.
“We ain’t got to be strong all the time. We’re gonna make mistakes,” she explained. “Sometimes the cape rips, and people clutch their pearls — but she was okay being seen without her cape.”
She also addressed comparisons between Perfidia and revolutionary Assata Shakur, whose autobiography she’s long admired.
“I don’t look at Perfidia and say, ‘This is Assata’s life,’” Taylor clarified. “These are two women who were unapologetically themselves… they stood ten toes down on what they believed in. You can’t do anything but respect that.”
“One Battle After Another“ — co-starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, Regina Hall, and Benicio del Toro — is inspired by Thomas Pynchon’s Vineland and explores love, loyalty, and revolution amid political chaos.
It’s currently in theatres.
Jill Munroe is a Los Angeles-bred entertainment journalist, producer, and host. Follow her socials @StilettoJill or visit JillMunroe.com. Catch her live M-F on KBLA Talk 1580 from 6PM to 7PM.
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