Ben Affleck Says Leonardo DiCaprio Can’t Stop Raving About This Rising Actress

Ben Affleck is making it clear that the praise for Teyana Taylor is very real, and not just something people say for interviews. In a new chat with Entertainment Weekly, Affleck opened up about working with Taylor on the upcoming Netflix crime thriller The Rip. He said the love she’s getting right now is exactly what he’s been hearing behind the scenes for a long time.

I talked to Paul [Thomas Anderson], and it was like, everybody raves about her, Affleck said. He also revealed that Leonardo DiCaprio had nothing but good things to say when they crossed paths. According to Affleck, these were private conversations, not the kind meant for cameras. But she’s really the opposite of that, and she blows people away.

Matt Damon, who also stars in The Rip, echoed that same energy. He had glowing words about Taylor’s work ethic and character. She is awesome. She is absolutely awesome, Damon said. She’s so professional, so great, just a really, really good person. He added that it’s been great to watch the rest of the world catch up to what people in the industry already knew about her talent.

Taylor’s current moment didn’t come out of nowhere. While she’s now earning major attention for her performance alongside DiCaprio in Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another, she’s been in the business since her teens. She signed her first record deal at 15 and worked early on with names like Beyoncé, Jay-Z, and Kanye West.

On the acting side, she appeared in films like Stomp the Yard: Homecoming and Madea’s Big Happy Family before earning serious critical praise for her role in A Thousand and One. Affleck also shared how impressed he is by Taylor’s vision for the future. She’s gonna direct her first feature next year, he said, noting how focused and prepared she already is. She has a great perspective on her situation now and a boundless ambition and talent to match.

In The Rip, Taylor plays Miami detective Numa Baptiste, a role that’s a sharp contrast to her character in One Battle After Another, where she portrays a radical revolutionary involved in robberies and bombings. Both performances have drawn strong reviews, and after her recent Golden Globe win for Best Supporting Actress on January 11, awards buzz around her keeps growing. Affleck believes this is only the beginning. I really do feel like it’s not so much a moment as a launching for what I believe will be a really long, fruitful career, he said.

Ben Affleck has been keeping a packed schedule lately, having recently produced the historical drama Small Things Like These and the musical Kiss of the Spider Woman.

The Rip, which premiered on Netflix on January 16, features a star-studded cast including Steven Yeun, Sasha Calle, and Kyle Chandler alongside Affleck and Damon. The film follows two Miami police partners who find their loyalty tested after discovering millions of dollars in a derelict stash house. The project was produced through Affleck and Damon’s production company, Artists Equity, which continues to focus on artist-led storytelling.

Teyana Taylor’s upcoming slate is equally impressive, with rumors circulating that she is the top choice to play Dionne Warwick in a long-awaited biopic. She is also preparing for the release of the action film 72 Hours, which recently moved into post-production. With her recent Golden Globe victory and a pending Grammy nomination for her visual album Escape Room, Taylor has officially become one of the most versatile forces in the industry today.

Do you think Teyana Taylor’s transition from music icon to award-winning actress is one of the most impressive Hollywood pivots in recent years? Share your thoughts in the comments.