Teyana Taylor recalls meeting Leonardo DiCaprio first time, becoming ‘best buds’

Teyana Taylor and Leonardo DiCaprio may play lovers in their upcoming film One Battle After Another, but off-screen their bond is built on friendship. 

In a recent interview with The New York Times published Sept. 8, the pair revealed that they’ve been close for years, and it all started at a legendary birthday party.

“Funny thing: Me and Leo actually met at Diana Ross’s birthday party some years back and instantly became best buds,” Taylor, 34, shared. “That’s my wingman, my partner in crime!”

DiCaprio, 50, echoed her sentiment, explaining that their long-standing connection made it easy for him to picture her in the role of Perfidia, a fiery and unforgettable character in the Paul Thomas Anderson-directed action-thriller. 

“Paul and I were talking about who would play this lightning rod of a character that was a radical but also somebody that was able to manipulate,” DiCaprio said.

He explained that Perfidia’s presence ripples through the entire story, leaving every other character emotionally scarred. 

That meant casting the right person was crucial. 

“We knew we needed to get somebody that could be not only bold and outspoken, but bring that improvisational talent of truth in the moment,” he continued.

For both DiCaprio and Anderson, Taylor’s name kept resurfacing. 

“We just kept on talking about our girl Teyana,” he said. “She just embodied that character in a way that I don’t think anyone else could. We’re all left as carnage after she comes onscreen, picking up the pieces of our lives.”

In the film, DiCaprio plays Bob, described as a “washed-up revolutionary” living off the grid in a haze of paranoia with his daughter Willa, played by Chase Infiniti.

Taylor’s character Perfidia, who was once his fellow revolutionary and love interest, ties directly into his past.

While their characters’ story is complex and filled with tension, Taylor and DiCaprio’s real-life friendship couldn’t be more effortless. 

Their instant connection at a birthday celebration years ago blossomed into a partnership that eventually found its way to the big screen.

For Taylor, stepping into culinary school recently may be her newest passion, but taking on Perfidia in One Battle After Another gave her the chance to channel boldness and truth alongside a longtime friend. 

And for DiCaprio, having Taylor by his side was more than casting, it was the continuation of a bond that started long before the cameras rolled.