Teyana Taylor focused on acting because she felt "claustrophobic in the music space".
The 35-year-old star has enjoyed success as a musician and as an actress, and Teyana admits that she's focused on different passions at different points in time.
She told Variety: "Honestly, I’ve just always been a character.
"As I got older, kids would play and I would watch movies — some, probably, I should not have been watching. I’ve always been into how an actor can emote. I always wanted to be Julia Roberts or Kate Winslet.
"As I got into music, everything else was put to a back burner. I didn’t get the opportunity to go to classes and study it the way I would’ve liked to. Once I started to feel claustrophobic in the music space, I was like, I need to pour into other things that I love."
Teyana poured her own life experiences into her performance in One Battle After Another, the acclaimed dark comedy movie that also starred Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, Benicio del Toro and Regina Hall.
She explained: "It was such a passion. Timing is everything: I always say, the wait is not punishment; it’s preparation for what was already written for you. If everything went my way, I wouldn’t have been the same Perfidia in One Battle After Another. I had to feel some s*** to know how to channel these emotions."
Teyana previously confessed to being a "sponge" around her A-list co-stars.
The actress starred alongside the likes of DiCaprio and Regina Hall in One Battle After Another, and Tayana admitted that she consciously tried to learn from her co-stars.
She told The Hollywood Reporter: "Imagine having these legends for teachers.
"You think I’m about to fall asleep in class? No. I’m going to open that notebook, pen to pad. I’m here to be a sponge. Even when I’m teaching, I’m a student. And I’m a straight-A student."
Paul Thomas Anderson relished the experience of working with Teyana, too, describing the actress as a "special" talent.
The acclaimed filmmaker explained: "When we did our costume fittings and camera tests, a type of metamorphosis happened. It’s the dancer energy that she brings.
"When the costume comes on and the situation is authentic, she really lights up and starts to go. Early on, we shot her running at full speed at sundown. I think it’s when the crew realised we were working with someone special who was going to thrill us."
