Teyana Taylor Teases Her Role in 'White Men Can't Jump' and Future in Acting (Exclusive)

Teyana Taylor may have backed away from her music career in 2021, but her acting career is just beginning. The 32-year-old teased her upcoming projects while chatting with ET at Universal Music Group's GRAMMYs after-party on Sunday.

Fresh off an award-winning run at Sundance 2023 for the A.V. Rockwell-directed drama A Thousand and One, Taylor's next project is the highly anticipated remake of Ron Shelton's classic film, White Men Can't Jump. Starring Jack Harlow and Sinqua Walls in similar roles first originated by Woody Harrelson and Wesley Snipes, the new film comes 31 years after the original became a box office hit and longtime favorite. 

20th Century Studios shared a first look at the upcoming film on Sunday, which mainly features Walls and Harlow. The remake is co-written by Kenya Barris and directed by Calmatic, with Lance Reddick, Taylor, Laura Harrier, Tamera 'Tee' Kissen as well as Myles Bullock and rapper Vince Staples rounding out the cast. 

Taylor's role hasn't been disclosed yet, but the actress is excited for fans to get their first taste of what's in store when the film premieres. 

"You know what's crazy? I seen it for the first time today -- I was in the shower and I heard the commercial and I was like, 'Wait, what?' and I hopped out," Taylor recalled. "I was like, 'OK, cool, this is dope! I’m excited.'"

The star played coy when asked what viewers can expect from the film, but teased that fans can "look forward to seeing me do my thing, you know?"

Taylor's costar shared a similar sentiment when ET caught him on the red carpet. "It's good, I’ll tell you that," Harlow told ET. "I've seen a good amount of it now; I was waiting to see it and this was my first [time]. I was nervous, you know, typically I control my products. Putting this in someone else's hands, I was just a cog in a machine. So I hope it's good, pretty happy with what I've seen."

Taylor decided to leave music behind in 2021, a decision she made as a result of feeling undervalued as an artist within the industry. Last year's Last Rose Petal Farewell Tour was the second part of her farewell, and now the mom of two is focused on her "acting bag."

"[There's no new music] right now, you know, I've been in my acting bag," Taylor told ET. "I'm busy in front and behind the lens."  

The actress is reportedly in line to portray Dionne Warwick in a series based on her life, which is currently in development. 

Back in February 2021, Warwick told Entertainment Weekly that Taylor "is certainly a talented young lady with whom I've had the pleasure of interfacing. In fact, we had a conversation last night on the telephone. She's very excited about the prospect of being involved and she's also going to be very, very much involved in directing it and putting together parts and parcel of how we see this going." 

"We've been on the phone several times. She's done her homework, She knows more about me than I know about me," Warwick shared during a recent appearance on Sherri Shepherd's talk show, calling Taylor a "hoot."

"I love her very, very much. She's on it," Warwick added.

Taylor later told People that getting the opportunity had been "a fight" and that although she was excited, it was "a whole 'nother level of pressure."

"I've done a lot of movies and TV shows, but I still feel like I never really got the chance for people to really see me act. And I never got a chance to be in a serious film, where I literally have to bring somebody else's story to life," she told the outlet. "So, that in itself is a whole 'nother level of pressure. But one thing about me is, any role that I'm playing, I go full in. I don't half ass anything."

The 65th Annual GRAMMY Awards was broadcast and streamed live on CBS and Paramount+. Follow along at ETonline.com for full coverage from music's biggest night, including performances, GRAMMY winners and more.

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