Teyana Taylor Takes the Lead

12.11.2026, 16:39 allure.com

Teyana Taylor is fresh off a movie set and in full-on mommy mode after her youngest daughter took a little tumble. Taylor’s sole focus is on comforting her baby girl. She picks her up and gently rubs her back, reminding her to be careful, in a smoky-toned voice that coats each word like a hug. Once it’s clear that she’s alright, Taylor ends the sweet scene, turning to greet me.

We’re in a boxy film trailer on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, a few blocks from the famous Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts, the alma mater of stars such as Timothée Chalamet, Jennifer Aniston, Michael Che, and Al Pacino. Today it’s the set for Get Lite, a movie that follows a dance student navigating life in New York City, which is set to hit theaters in 2027. Taylor, a.k.a. “Spike Tey,” is behind the camera this time, making her feature-length film directorial debut.

Bodysuit by Saint Laurent. Earrings by Cartier. To create a similar makeup look: Danessa Myricks Colorfix Nudes in Nude 7 and Revlon Super Lustrous Lipsticks in Bare It All and Laidback Lilac.

She’s dressed in all-black, wearing oversized cargo pants, chunky platform boots that add height to her petite stature, and a varsity jacket with “The Aunties”—the name of her production company—emblazoned on one sleeve. She takes off the jacket and hangs it up, revealing a fitted T-shirt that shows off her sculpted biceps and veined forearms, before settling in next to me on a small, black leather couch.

It’s around 2:30 p.m., and this is Taylor’s first break of the day. So far she’s eaten two Cuties mandarins and a few rushed bites of food that upset her stomach. Taylor also missed the window for the Chinese takeout that’s been sitting in the stuffy trailer for over an hour—despite the AC, the day’s humidity permeated. “That smelled crazy,” Taylor says, as she looks for air freshener.

“I didn't eat the way I would have liked to, but I prefer to get my shot,” she tells me, referring to the scene she just wrapped on set. “Getting that shot was important.”

Taylor has been working relentlessly today and over the past couple of years. She starred in five feature-length movies; a self-directed short film, which was released alongside her 2025 Grammy-nominated album Escape Room; and in the first season of Ryan Murphy’s legal drama series All’s Fair. You can see her again in the second season of that soapy offering (the first became a guilty pleasure for many) when it airs this month.

But it was her standout role as Perfidia in Paul Thomas Anderson’s 2025 film One Battle After Another that launched her to Hollywood’s peak. Beyond proximity to castmates like Leonardo DiCaprio and Sean Penn, Taylor’s gutsy performance earned her a 2026 Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress, an Oscar nomination, and a celebratory moment when the film won Best Picture at the Oscars.

Dress by ArdAzAei. Earrings and ring by Graff.

Now, after a 20-year career in entertainment, one could say that Teyana Taylor, 35, is a household name. Though she seems inconceivably busy, directing a film requires her to also be intensely present. She likens the experience to finding the perfect parking spot and then having to clean out your car before you can walk away. “Baby, when they yell, ‘Cut, that's a wrap,’ you gotta stay back. You gotta come in early. You literally have to approve every single thing,” she explains. “You are hands-on in every single aspect.”

Taylor isn’t complaining, though. “It’s everything I’ve ever asked for,” she tells me. Get Lite has been baking since 2022, and the timing of it taking shape now isn’t lost on her. “What if this would have worked out four years ago when I was still trying to figure it out? It wouldn't have hit the same,” she reflects.

Back then, Taylor was a fairly new mom of two, retired from her music career, and had just wrapped A.V. Rockwell’s 2023 indie film, A Thousand and One—her gripping breakout role that got Anderson’s attention before One Battle After Another. On both movie sets, Taylor, who had already been directing her own content and music videos for other artists, soaked up all the knowledge she could. “I paid attention to my director, the ADs, and DPs because I'm like, ‘This is going to be me in a few months. This is going to be me next year,’” she says.

Somehow Taylor also found time to enroll in culinary school, in 2025, to create a quiet place for herself, and because she loves to cook. While there she discovered the servant-leader mindset that shaped the team environment she created on set as director. “The head chef is in the kitchen with you,” she says. “I'm really big on wanting to be a leader, not a boss.”

Dress by Gucci. Shoes by Gianvito Rossi. Earrings and bracelet by Cartier.

Taylor is Harlem-raised, so her hustle is innate. “I could literally sell your shoes on your feet right back to you,” she says. She jumped at any opportunity to try and succeed. “If I was good at it, I wanted to do it. I always had a director mentality. I needed to say, ‘This needs to happen,’” she recalls of her younger self.

The musical seeds were planted in Taylor’s childhood apartment, uptown on St. Nicholas Place. She closes her eyes for a moment and drops back there. “There would be times when all the kids would be playing in the hallway. My mom's playlist was on point, and I would have my ear to the door. I'd be sitting in front of a windowpane singing my heart out and imagining myself in concert.”

Taylor’s first stage was the living room, where she put on a show with her cousin Paris, featuring moves from Michael Jackson videos like “The Way You Make Me Feel” and “Thriller.” A crowd of relatives cheered them on. That early applause gave Taylor the confidence to explore her gifts, knowing her biggest champions were the people who loved her the most. “Family is just a tiny bit delusional about they babies. ‘My honey's going to be a star. Get your pictures now because she's going to blow up,’” she says with a laugh, imitating their grandiose praise. “They know it before you do.”

Dress by Germanier. Earrings by Cartier. Ring by VCA.

Obviously they were right. In 2007, 16-year-old Taylor signed to Pharrell Williams’ label, Star Trak Entertainment, and boldly established herself as a trendsetter. That same year, she introduced herself to the world on a legendary episode of MTV’s My Super Sweet 16, rocking a skater-girl-meets-doll tutu that influenced a generation of millennial teens. The next year, Taylor dropped the single “Google Me,” followed by her 2009 debut 25-track mixtape, From a Planet Called Harlem, her first full offering of the R&B and hip-hop sound she’s known for.

In 2012, Taylor left Star Trak and signed with Kanye West’s, now known as Ye’s, G.O.O.D. Music label, where she released three studio albums between 2014 and 2020. Halfway into the deal, Taylor starred in Ye’s 2016 music video for “Fade,” giving a sultry, eye-popping dance performance. It created visibility for her, but behind the scenes, Taylor says, she felt caged in and that she lacked the autonomy she needed to consistently thrive.

After she dropped The Album in 2020, Taylor was done fighting to be seen, and announced her retirement from music, which would last for five years. “I was afraid,” she says. “I felt like I was falling out of love with something that wasn't fun anymore. It was the first time that I had juggled fear and confidence at the same time.”

Clothing by Dolce & Gabbana. Shoes by Jimmy Choo. Bracelet and ring by VCA.

Some people doubted her decision to walk away. The major onscreen offers hadn’t rolled in yet, and her next move hadn’t really been planned. “It made me feel like the music shit was an end-all, be-all. They wasn't jacking me saying, ‘I'm going to be a big director one day. I'm going to be a big actress one day. I'm going to be a creative director one day. I want to create safe spaces for creatives,’” she says, her Harlem accent intensifying as she fires off each word. “Nobody believed that shit, because that's not what was instantly bringing in the things.”

It was an emotional time for Taylor, who was also dealing with postpartum depression. In a gigantic leap of faith, she landed 10-toes down and bet on herself. Less than two months after deciding to retire from music, Taylor got the call to play Inez in A Thousand and One. “A lead role, the first time people saw me as a serious actress, and we won Sundance. Are you shitting me?” she asks proudly, still with a tinge of disbelief. “After that, I instantly became a go-to music video director.”

Taylor also led creative direction, stage production, and performance coaching for artists like Summer Walker, Latto, and Lil Baby.

Her advice, in short: Do it scared.

Taylor’s recent string of successes feels like one big pinch-me moment for her. At the pinnacle of last year’s awards-show season, her realness broke through the sea of composure. Her laughter during commercial breaks, an improvised Whitney Houston impersonation, and the reveal of her “party in the back” (a blingy, bow-shaped thong) on a custom Schiaparelli gown during a tearful acceptance speech were all refreshing and fab. Taylor’s joy made headlines, especially at the Oscars, where she cheered on her category competitor, Amy Madigan, who won Best Supporting Actress.

To create a similar makeup look: Chanel Stylo Sourcils Haute Précision Eyebrow Pencil in Brun Profond and Revlon Super Lustrous Lipsticks in Nude Fury.

On social media, where everything is ripe for analysis, a flurry of comments suggested that Taylor’s enthusiasm was over the top. “I'm a whimsical girl, and I love that I'm happy for everybody, because I'm happy for people that's happy for me,” she pops back. “Miss Amy and I really helped each other throughout the whole award season. So when I stand up and I clap for Miss Amy, I mean that. Whether I win or lose, I'm going to celebrate my peers.” The two still keep in touch.

Taylor is no stranger to public scrutiny, but s