Teyana Taylor On The Importance Of Building Her Relationship With Dionne Warwick Ahead Of Biopic Series

Source: Taylor Hill/Fredric J. Brown / Getty

Teyana Taylor gave fans exciting updates about Dionne Warwick’s upcoming biopic.

Riding the high of her latest acting gig in A Thousand and One, Taylor shared that Warwick’s long-awaited biopic is underway. 

“We’re already working on it,” she said on the Tamron Hall Show. “We’re in the building process right now.”

The Harlem native said strengthening her relationship with the legendary singer was important as she prepared for the lead role.

“I’ve always wanted to make sure I could lock in with any person that I would be playing, you know? How Angela [Bassett] and Tina [Turner] was, how Jamie Foxx and Ray Charles, you know what I’m saying? Like, to really get to know them and I miss when movies was like that, when you get to know them and tap in and just bond.”

Taylor revealed that she and Warwick “talk almost everyday.” The Rose In Harlem singer emphasized her desire for the 82-year-old singer to feel safe with how she’ll be portrayed.

“I mean, I’ve always been a firm believer in just always standing on safety. She’s had a wonderful career, you know? And I think right now it’s about making her feel as safe as possible to be able to tell her story. Because a lot of these stories get misconstrued or extremely dramatized to an extent and that’s not really where we want to go,” Taylor explained to Hall.

Warwick handpicked Taylor to play her during a pitch to Netflix posted on Twitter in 2020.

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Warwick confirmed that the biopic would be an episodic series in February 2021. Taylor explained that a movie wouldn’t do Warwick’s lengthy career justice in an exclusive interview with MADAMENOIRE that April. Both musicians noted that Taylor would work on the project as its lead and from behind the camera.

Warwick grew up in a home full of gospel music and started singing at six years old. After performing in a group called the Gospelaires in her teens, the singer signed her first record deal in 1962.

The five-time Grammy winner’s biggest hits over the past six decades include “That’s What Friends Are For,” “I Say A Little Prayer,” “I’ll Never Love This Way Again” and “Anyone Who Had A Heart.” 

Check out our throwback interview with Taylor below. 

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