Teyana Taylor on playing Dionne Warwick: ‘I don’t half a– anything’
The singer/actress/reality TV star was handpicked by the icon after fans suggested she play the role on Twitter
Teyana Taylor opened up during a new interview with PEOPLE about landing the opportunity to play Dionne Warwick in a biopic.
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The 30-year-old shared that the chance to play the music icon is a once-in-a-lifetime moment.
“It was a fight to be able to have this opportunity and to play a role of someone that I look up to and you love, such an iconic person. To me, it’s a feeling I almost can’t explain,” Taylor said.
She hopes the role will give her the opportunity to stretch her acting, something she hasn’t been able to do in the past.
” I’ve done a lot of movies and TV shows, but I still feel like I never really got the chance for people to really see me act. And I never got a chance to be in a serious film, where I literally have to bring somebody else’s story to life,” Taylor told PEOPLE. “So, that in itself is a whole ‘nother level of pressure. But one thing about me is, any role that I’m playing, I go full in. I don’t half a– anything.”
As theGrio reported, the biopic was confirmed by Warwick after the idea was floated around on Twitter. According to the outlet, during a Feb. 2021 interview with Entertainment Weekly, Warwick confirmed Taylor would be playing her in an upcoming biopic but that it wouldn’t be the typical two-hour TV movie format.
“It’s going to be a series, we’re planning to do an episodic type of a show,” Warwick clarified. “[Teyana] is certainly a talented young lady with whom I’ve had the pleasure of interfacing. In fact, we had a conversation last night on the telephone. She’s very excited about the prospect of being involved and she’s also going to be very, very much involved in directing it and putting together parts and parcel of how we see this going.”
Taylor also opened up to PEOPLE about her self-care regimen. The exclusive interview was conducted as the “Gonna Love Me” singer now has a partnership with beauty brand Olay as it launches a new body care collection.
“Being a fan of Olay and watching their commercials, I always wanted to be that girl. So be able to work with such a legendary brand is crazy! It’s just like, ‘Oh my God, you all know who I am. You all want to work with me?’ It means so much to me. I’m so happy and excited,” she exclaimed.
“I think to like actually really live, you know what I’m saying? Have you ever noticed how busy our lives are from kids? And in your twenties you’re still finding yourself. Your thirties is like when you really start to come into your own and know yourself. And I think that’s where things start to calm down a little bit. That kind of was my goal,” Taylor continued.
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“I’ve always wanted to be a mom and a wife. I always wanted to feel stable, you know – but still grow. So when I turned 30, this is a new time, a new moment to really just like live, love, and be yourself unapologetically. Not caring about people’s opinions, not care about other people’s judgment, really just focusing on you and your loved ones.”
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