{"id":495828,"date":"2026-02-28T15:27:12","date_gmt":"2026-02-28T15:27:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/495828\/"},"modified":"2026-02-28T15:27:12","modified_gmt":"2026-02-28T15:27:12","slug":"oscar-nominee-on-one-battle-after-another","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/495828\/","title":{"rendered":"Oscar Nominee on ‘One Battle After Another’"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

The last time IndieWire spoke with Teyana Taylor<\/a> was about her breakthrough role in \u201cA Thousand and One<\/a>,\u201d which earned her Gotham and Independent Spirit Awards nominations and put her on a dark-horse campaign for an Oscar nomination. \u201cBeing a part of the conversation is all I ever really wanted,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s all still a win, even the snub talk, I love that the most. Because it\u2019s people in here that\u2019s like, \u2018I would love to see Teyana. I hope they keep Teyana in mind when it\u2019s time for award season, when it is time for Oscars<\/a>.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Only two years later, it actually happened. The multihyphenate, who just hit two decades in the entertainment business in just about every position \u2014 from Grammy-nominated musician, to director, dancer, choreographer, reality TV personality, creative director, you name it \u2014 is now an Academy Award nominee for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Perfidia Beverly Hills in Paul Thomas Anderson\u2019s \u201cOne Battle After Another<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Jon<\/a> \"'Sinners'\"<\/a> <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s so crazy because when I did \u2018A Thousand and One,\u2019 I felt in my heart that this was going to be the role that would make people really see me and take me seriously,\u201d Taylor recently told IndieWire over Zoom, the morning after winning a Virtuosos Award at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival<\/a>. \u201cTo know that Paul was a fan of \u2018A Thousand and One,\u2019 and that\u2019s what made him reach out, I\u2019m just like, \u2018This is such a full circle moment.\u2019\u201d She added, \u201cI have a thousand and one reasons to be grateful.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now in the second phase of awards campaigning with a film<\/a> that earned 13 Oscar nominations<\/a>, the recent Golden Globe winner<\/a> particularly enjoys having more time and perspective to dive deeper into the motivations behind her controversial character \u2014 a revolutionary who becomes entangled with the film\u2019s dictatorial antagonist until she escapes with reckless abandon. \u201cIt\u2019s that 50-50 thing where you can\u2019t live with her, can\u2019t live without her. She\u2019s human, and she\u2019s raw. And it was hard for people to see and accept that because they expect us to wear capes 24\/7, and she took hers off,\u201d said Taylor.<\/p>\n

Below, the Best Supporting Actress contender dives into why her role in \u201cOne Battle After Another\u201d was the perfect follow-up to \u201cA Thousand and One,\u201d and why she is always happy to return to Perfidia Beverly Hills.<\/p>\n

The following interview has been condensed for length and clarity.<\/p>\n

\"TeyanaTeyana Taylor in \u2018A Thousand and One\u2019Focus Features\/Courtesy Everett Collection<\/p>\n

IndieWire: When we last spoke about \u201cA Thousand and One,\u201d you spoke about dealing with personal issues like postpartum depression and experiencing loss during the filming. In playing Perfidia, were you out of this period of depression and\/or heartbreak, with a new perspective, or did it feel like you were still in the thick of those challenging emotions?<\/p>\n

Teyana Taylor: Yeah, I think I was still in the thick of it. Perfidia was the perfect next character for me because I poured all my emotion into it. And Inez [in \u2018A Thousand and One\u2019] was a little bit different from Perfidia, but they both were complex. They both were raw, and they both were very, very human. So hearing about Perfidia and seeing that she would be even more complex than Inez was, I was just excited to take the complexity to the next level, and that\u2019s what we did. Even with Perfidia, I love talking about Perfidia because she\u2019s so complex, but also she\u2019s so misunderstood. And with Perfidia, it\u2019s understanding how she became a revolutionary because of the things she believes in. They became a part of her identity; it\u2019s who she is. And when she becomes a mother, I feel like it\u2019s an overnight situation. \u201cHold on, wait, wait, huh? It\u2019s time to play house? It\u2019s time to sit down? Hold on, what\u2019s going on? I\u2019m still outside.\u201d<\/p>\n

She doesn\u2019t really know how to deal with all of that, just like a lot of women. Some people plan for it and some people don\u2019t, and people handle that differently. And for some people, it could be really, really difficult when they\u2019re in the thick of something else. When you\u2019re in the thick of standing up for what you believe in, and nothing can slow you down, and you wind up pregnant, and you\u2019re bringing a whole new life into this world, I can see why it can get difficult for some people. Playing her was important because it taps into the misunderstanding of why people do what they do, why people feel the need to run, why some people feel the need to stay. And that\u2019s why the letter was so important. We got to hear Perfidia a lot more calm and in a place of accountability. And it was important to me because it was from such a raw place. And if you listen to a lot of the voiceover she did 16 years later, very little has changed. Look at what\u2019s happening. Motherfuckers end up fighting themselves, and it\u2019s like y\u2019all not letting Perfidia cook. She\u2019s cooking.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But I love that Perfidia stands 10 toes down on who she is, and she\u2019s able to speak on it and talk about it. But I\u2019m so happy that in \u201cA Thousand and One,\u201d you see Inez navigate motherhood, but in \u201cOne Battle,\u201d you see a mother navigate how she dealt with postpartum. We see this woman show the result of when people think that postpartum is a non-factor. Why would I want to stay and play house with a person that I\u2019m being ignored by, when I can be doing this revolution thing?<\/p>\n

\"ONE\u2018One Battle After Another\u2019\u00a9Warner Bros\/Courtesy Everett Collection<\/p>\n

As you said, this is a very complex character, and I definitely see the identity crisis part of it. But in recent interviews<\/a>, you\u2019ve described Perfidia as selfish. Isn\u2019t that lacking the nuance of the situation?<\/p>\n

When I say Perfidia is selfish, that\u2019s what I admire about her. We may not agree with some of the things she literally does, but mentally and emotionally, to be able to be selfish and show up for you, and put you first, which as women \u2014 especially as a Black woman \u2014 we don\u2019t get to do. We have to be superheroes all day, every day. Perfidia said, \u201cListen, cape on or cape off, I\u2019m going to be myself. I\u2019m going to show up for me.\u201d She didn\u2019t care at what expense, but mentally, in a whole other term, it\u2019s like, \u201cWow, it\u2019s OK to be selfish sometimes. It\u2019s OK to put me first.\u201d That\u2019s what keeps us alive. How can we help you? How can we be of service if we\u2019re not even taking care of ourselves?<\/p>\n

She\u2019s entitled to handle the postpartum the way she handled it because who are we to judge how a mother handles postpartum depression? The most we can do is try and see how we can show up. And that\u2019s where Bob lacked. She cried out, and he put his ear to that door. And instead of just walking in, he walked away. And oh my God, Paul is a genius. I love that. It forces you to have to think. And that\u2019s why I love when people have seen the movie [multiple] times because you pick up something new every single time, and you gain more and more compassion and empathy for Perfidia\u2019s situation.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Again, this is not negating her actions because I definitely think in the letter she speaks to that. But when I say she\u2019s selfish, it can be good and bad because she did also make some decisions that were selfish to the whole squad. Because you\u2019re repping this revolutionary [group], and then you\u2019re weaponizing certain things, and that\u2019s your power. I have a gun pointing to a man\u2019s head and he\u2019s calling me \u201cSweet Thing.\u201d People don\u2019t understand the complexities of Perfidia and what she goes through. And that\u2019s why I\u2019m just so happy that Paul really took it there with the postpartum depression because it just showed people to step in now, step in early, don\u2019t wait until it\u2019s too late. Would she have walked out that door? Would she have walked out on Bob and Willa, had Bob walked through that door and just given her a hug, just spoken to her, and calmed her down?\u00a0<\/p>\n

So I love when a character sparks dialogue, whether people are uncomfortable, comfortable. That\u2019s why I love this. It makes me feel like you\u2019re invested in Perfidia\u2019s character. We all know she\u2019s a badass, but we never have an in-depth conversation about Perfidia and her nuance.<\/p>\n

\"TeyanaTeyana Taylor and Sean Penn in \u2018One Battle After Another\u2019.Warner Bros\/Courtesy Everett Collection<\/p>\n

Clearly, part of that is the racial dynamics, but on a simpler level, we see this fixation with power. And as the power slips away, you see her spiral\u2014<\/p>\n

Trying to get that power back. And that\u2019s what I\u2019m saying. So when people are in that space, even people that are power-hungry, you\u2019re feeling like anything can slow you down, you become a runner, you become a track star. That\u2019s just what it is. And like I said, even with the whole, \u201cOK, I have a gun to your head, and you\u2019re saying \u2018Sweet Thing\u2019? OK, cool. So since we playing, get it up.\u201d So then she sees this man in power get it up just by gunpoint. Oh, she\u2019s going to milk that. That\u2019s what she is going to do.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m so passionate about Perfidia. And even with the sexuality thing, because I see that gets brought up a lot to where they\u2019re so fixated on the sexuality. They don\u2019t even highlight the postpartum depression, nor do they highlight that very important moment at the end with that letter. I think she uses her sexuality as a weapon. It\u2019s her armor. It is her power. It\u2019s her survival. That\u2019s her survival mode. And in many ways, she\u2019s a parallel to Lockjaw. And she\u2019s giving him what he wants to get what she wants. And she has the power in that dynamic. And the difference between him and her is that he is afraid to be who he truly is, and she isn\u2019t. She is who she is, unapologetically.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve struggled with some of the criticism of Perfidia downplaying Willa\u2019s role in the film, and how it all comes full circle.<\/p>\n

Exactly, I have to anchor at some point. People are so tied into just everything that they\u2019re not understanding that, you guys, this is still a story that is being told. And in this supporting space, my job as Perfidia is to support Willa. I will drive the boat to the middle of the sea, and then I will anchor. And if y\u2019all are going to jump off the boat, get on the jet skis, etc., that\u2019s for y\u2019all to tell the rest of that. But I must stay here, and let Willa thrive, and see what comes from my actions, and see her pay for that, and see my actions haunt both Willa and Bob. That\u2019s what\u2019s important for the movie.\u00a0<\/p>\n

So I\u2019m really proud of the movie. I\u2019m really proud of the story, and I\u2019m really more proud of the fact that it\u2019s shaking the table. It\u2019s creating this kind of healthy dialogue. And I love when movies can do that. I feel like \u201cA Thousand and One\u201d did that as well. It wasn\u2019t the happy ending of, \u201cOh, why did she do it?\u201d It was like, \u201cWell, why is she smiling?\u201d Y\u2019all still don\u2019t get it. Her job is done. She raised the right kid. He is going to do amazing things. And now guess what? Inez can be free. Inez gets to go on knowing that \u201cI did what I had to do.\u201d So it just goes to show how people don\u2019t understand how much women are superwomen. And when they see a woman show up for themselves, it\u2019s uncomfortable. So I love when directors go the route of \u201cWe\u2019re not in the business to make people comfortable.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"TeyanaTeyana Taylor and Chase Infiniti at the 31st Annual Critics Choice Awards held at the Barker Hangar on January 04, 2026 in Santa Monica, California.Christopher Polk\/Variety<\/p>\n

Do you find the ending hopeful? I see this message of \u201cyou can find your way back.\u201d Even if it\u2019s through Willa, Perfidia still has a route toward forgiveness, especially forgiving herself.<\/p>\n

Yes. And that\u2019s why I\u2019m saying that note is so important because you hear the accountability, you hear the calmness, you hear the growth, you even hear the years, you hear 16 years of pain and growth. You hear a little bit of everything in her voice. And most importantly, one thing you didn\u2019t get to hear the whole movie, until we got to that note, was the vulnerability. It was so sweet, and it just hit me every single time. \u201cDo you have love? Are you happy? Will you try and change the world like we did? We failed, but maybe you will not.\u201d Which, to your point, still leaves hope. She is the next generation. She is the next thing. And it was also a way of saying that without the pressure. Like you said, Perfidia comes from a long line of revolutionaries. So maybe she is walking with that pressure of feeling like, \u201cI have to keep it going.\u201d And she makes her mistakes through that. But in this letter, you hear compassion and empathy. \u201cWill you try and change the world? You need to try and change the world like we did.\u201d You hear the support. \u201cIs there still time for us?\u201d Oh my God.\u00a0<\/p>\n

I\u2019m always happy to hear when people say they receive that letter. I love to even hear people sniffling in the movie theaters when that part comes on. It warms my heart because the letter came from a real place. That\u2019s what really hit. That hit for Inez. It hit for Perfidia. It hit for even me as a mother. It hit for all the women that came before me because we\u2019re always going to want to know if our kids are happy. We\u2019re going to always want them to have love. We\u2019re going to always want them to try and change the world. We\u2019re going to always want them to be even greater versions of who we were. We want them to be greater than us. So I loved that moment from Perfidia.<\/p>\n

\"TeyanaTeyana Taylor at the 83rd Annual Golden Globes held at The Beverly Hilton on January 11, 2026 in Beverly Hills, California.Christopher Polk\/2026GG\/Penske Media<\/p>\n

In spite of a lot of what we talked about, how did it ultimately feel to see so many initial reactions to the film be that your performance left viewers dying for more? And would you say there\u2019s been an even deeper understanding of Perfidia in the months since?<\/p>\n

This whole journey in this space has been a marathon, not a sprint. So I\u2019m taking my time because I\u2019m still trying to process everything, all while still having these important conversations, wanting people to fully understand who Perfidia is, and giving better insight on who she is and the overall goal of the whole movie. So I haven\u2019t taken up the time to pat myself on the back yet because there\u2019s much more left to this marathon, and much more to do, because you still have people that may not understand who Perfidia is. You have some people that have seen it several times, and it only makes you understand her even more.<\/p>\n

And it\u2019s a fun journey to have a little bit of both. I\u2019m enjoying it, and I\u2019m pacing myself, just taking my time with it. The biggest pat is once we get to the touchdown, and once we get to that finish line, that\u2019s when I\u2019ll be like, \u201cWow, this was a journey.\u201d Because it\u2019s already a journey in real time, but I\u2019m so focused on being present that I haven\u2019t really taken a seat to really process and be like, \u201cOh, yeah, they want more of me.\u201d Here and there, I make little jokes with Paul. I\u2019m like, \u201cWe need to see what Perfidia did in those 16 years.\u201d But Perfidia and Willa need some scenes together. When Willa walked out the door in that last scene, I said, \u201cWhere\u2019s she really going? Is she going to free Deandra? Is she going to find her mommy?\u201d I love that it\u2019s still hopeful, and it\u2019s room for a little part two in there somewhere.<\/p>\n

How real are those conversations? We just saw the Super Bowl run a trailer for a \u201cOnce Upon a Time in Hollywood\u201d follow-up starring Best Supporting Actor Oscar winner Brad Pitt. Can we expect a similar project centered on your Best Supporting Actress Oscar-nominated role of Perfidia?<\/p>\n

The conversations are very, very real. I want to give everybody confirmation that I am currently begging PTA to give us that. I\u2019m begging him to give us that.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The last time IndieWire spoke with Teyana Taylor was about her breakthrough role in \u201cA Thousand and One,\u201d…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":495829,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[163160,88,2695,5450,89051,29506,104369],"class_list":["post-495828","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-entertainment","tag-consider-this","tag-entertainment","tag-film","tag-interviews","tag-one-battle-after-another","tag-oscars","tag-teyana-taylor"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/495828","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=495828"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/495828\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/495829"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=495828"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=495828"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=495828"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}