Musician and actress Teyana Taylor has revealed that she will be playing the iconic artist Dionne Warwick in an upcoming biopic.
Taylor revealed the news in an interview with Billboard, noting that a biopic is already in the works, and that she and others are currently in “the building process” as of now.
“We’re already working on it,” Taylor said. “We’re in the building process right now. I always wanted to make sure I could lock in with any person that I would be playing.”
Taylor mentioned in the interview that she was inspired by performances like Angela Bassett as Tina Turner in the 1993 film What’s Love Got to Do With It, as well as Jamie Foxx’s portrayal of Ray Charles in the 2004 biopic Ray. “I miss when movies were like that, when you got to really get to know them and tap in,” said Taylor.
Taylor also went on to say that what she hopes to do is make Warwick feel “as safe as possible” in telling her story, and not to misconstrue or dramatize something.
“I’ve always been a firm believer and stood on safety,” said Taylor. “She’s had a wonderful career, and I think right now is about making her feel as safe as possible to tell her story because a lot of these stories get misconstrued or dramatized to an extent. That’s not really where we want to go.”
Warwick is one of the most beloved and successful singers in history, and ranks among the biggest hit makers between 1955 and 1999. She’s the second-most charted female vocalist during the rock era, and one of the most-charted vocalists of all time, according to Billboard’s Hot 100 charts. During her career, she’s sold more than 100 million records worldwide, and has numerous award to her name, including six Grammy Awards.
