How Teyana Taylor Battled the Competition in Two Industries—And Won

Taylor says she studied Vineland, but only after seeing people on “movie Twitter” mention it in relation to One Battle After Another; by then, she had already booked the role. (Anderson’s pretty sure he didn’t tell her anything about the project before asking her to meet.) On set, her penchant for improv came into play; she ad-libbed the line “Bitch, I felt like Tony Montana” on the spot, and PTA ended up using it in the trailer.

“That was a Byron moment,” she says, referring to her instantly iconic delivery of Bow Wow’s character name in Madea’s Big Happy Family, another improvised moment that made it to the screen. (Tyler Perry called “cut,” she recalls, “and he was like, ‘What the fuck did you just do?’ And everybody started dying laughing. So the next take, I didn’t do it. And he was like, “No, no, no, no, no—do the Byronnnnnn thing.”)

And DiCaprio’s character’s nickname, Ghetto Pat? That was Taylor’s idea too. “PTA was telling me—all the reviews for the early screenings and stuff, that everybody’s favorite name was Ghetto Pat,” she says.

Jacket and pants by Balenciaga. Tank top, her own. Boxers by Comme Si. Boots by Giuseppe Zanotti. Necklace by Gucci.

“She’s instinctual and she’s wild,” Anderson marvels. “I like both of these traits. She’s incredibly athletic and in control of her body, which is also very useful to an actress. She’s a filmmaker, not just an actress. She really understands a set and the camera and the experience and movement of a crew,” he says. “I suppose her face is one of the most beautiful and unique I’ve ever seen in my life. Photographing her face is pure joy. She is mysterious, sexy, mischievous, and quite sweet. Nice combo.”

“I’m surrounded by so much love, genuine love, and support,” Taylor says. Still, she’s learned from her past experiences; she’s got a plethora of backup plans in case things go south.

“There’s always a door somewhere—you just got to look for it. Sometimes, we feel trapped. You ever see when they set a wild animal free for the first time, and they open that cage?” she explains, miming the movements of a lion taking its first steps into the wild.

At that moment, it dawned on me that she chose the booth seat that gives her an optimal view of all the exits.

“You don’t even realize that the fence is up because you’ve been caged for so long,” Taylor says. “You don’t even know what freedom looks like.”

PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Photographs by Jason Nocito
Styled by Ronnie Hart at Day One
Hair by Edith Donaldson-Wheeler
Makeup by Yeika
Manicure by PIKA at See Management
Set design by Rosie Turnbull
Tailoring by Ksenia Golub