Teyana Taylor Finally Addresses Criticism Over Her ‘Hypersexual’ Role in ‘One Battle After Another’

While Teyana Taylor may still be basking in the glow of her recent (and first ever) Golden Globe win, the role for which she’s steadily getting recognized is still causing a stir online. And now, she’s finally responding to the criticism.

As we previously told you, in the Paul Thomas Anderson-directed film “One Battle After Another,” Taylor plays Perfidia Beverly Hills, a reckless member of the fictional revolutionary group, the French 75. She’s bold, she’s brave, and she’s also very sexual. Like try to make love with her partner (played by Leonardo DiCaprio) while a bomb is set to go off type sexual and at other times, the type of sexual that knows how and when to control and command other powerful men with her body as a means to an end.

It’s a role that’s equal parts entertaining and flawed– but for some people, it’s deeply problematic. In fact, it’s rubbed a certain sector of people the wrong way that it’s led them to draw comparisons between Taylor’s role and that of Halle Berry’s in the 2001 film, “Monster’s Ball.”

So it’s no wonder why, since that chatter keeps coming up again and again on social media timelines, she was finally asked about it in the latest cover interview with Vanity Fair, released on Tuesday.

As you might expect, Taylor didn’t quite agree with the critique and questioned the interpretation.

“Another person interviewed me and mentioned something about Perfidia and how people felt like she was overly horny. And I’m like, do you realize the first thing we see of Perfidia is her having a gun to a guy’s head and he calls her sweet thing? Are you—are we watching the same film?” she asked.

She went on to explain how she felt like her character essentially “dived into” and leaned into being sexualized as long as it allowed her to still do what she needed and what she wanted. Showing some skin or sleeping with someone was a small hurdle if that was the only thing standing in her path to achieve her ultimate goal.

“Perfidia kind of dived into the, ‘Oh, you think I’m hot? All right, bet. Cool if I get to still do what I’m doing, all I gotta do is show you a little titty or something,’” she explained.

Yet and still, Taylor understands ultimately that her role was far from perfect, but she hopes that people will still see her character for the “badass” she is and empathizes with the decisions she made.

“I think one thing that everybody will be able to agree on is that she’s a badass,” she added. “And she’s unapologetically herself. And when you see this woman, even the things you don’t agree with, you’ll still empathize.”