“These are informal conversations, not in front of a camera or anything, where people will often say, ‘Uh, it was tough.’”

Ben Affleck reveals the rising actress Leonardo DiCaprio privately raved to him about: ‘She blows people away’

"These are informal conversations, not in front of a camera or anything, where people will often say, 'Uh, it was tough.'"

By Mike Miller

Mike Miller

Mike Miller is the executive editor on the movies team at . He previously worked as a writer-reporter for PEOPLE and TMZ.

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January 17, 2026 12:00 p.m. ET

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Ben Affleck and Leonardo DiCaprio in 2017. Credit:

Eric Charbonneau/Getty

It's not always easy to get a sense of how costars *really* feel about each other in interviews. Even if things weren't so great behind the scenes, they're usually pretty good at pretending everyone got along. They're actors, after all.

But Ben Affleck says one rising star, *One Battle After Another *Golden Globe winner and Grammy-nominated singer Teyana Taylor, has been getting as much praise amongst her peers privately as she has in public.

"I talked to Paul [Thomas Anderson], and it was like, everybody raves about her," Affleck tells * *of his *The Rip *costar. "I ran into DiCaprio, and he had nothing but incredible things to say. And these are informal conversations, not in front of a camera or anything, where people will often say, 'Uh, it was tough,' or some kind of signal that maybe it's not what it seems or whatever. But she's really the opposite of that, and she blows people away."

Teyana Taylor and Ben Affleck at 'The Rip' world premiere in New York City.

Slaven Vlasic/Getty

"She is awesome. She is absolutely awesome," adds Matt Damon, who also stars in the Netflix crime thriller with Affleck and Taylor. "She's so professional, so great, just a really, really good person. It's so wonderful to see somebody who you know is that talented be received by the world, and for everybody else to realize it."

He adds, "She's clearly somebody with a lot to say and a lot to give. I mean, she's nominated for a Grammy as well. She's just so unbelievably talented with this kind of ambition to put herself out there in so many ways. It's just great to see her acknowledged."

While Taylor is having a breakthrough moment with her performance alongside DiCaprio in Anderson's *One Battle After Another,* she's no newcomer to show business. She signed her first record deal at just 15, working with superstars like Beyoncé (she choreographed the music video for "Ring the Alarm"), Jay-Z, and Kanye West.

Ben Affleck and Matt Damon learn trust has a $20-million price in teaser for new crime thriller 'The Rip'

Teyana Taylor adds more confusion to Leonardo DiCaprio's viral Golden Globes moment: 'Wasn't me!'

As an actor, she started off appearing in projects like* Stomp the Yard: Homecoming *(2010) and *Madea's Big Happy Family* (2011) before making her first major impression with critics as Inez in *A Thousand and One *(2023), earning the National Board of Review Award for Breakthrough Performance.

"She's gonna direct her first feature next year," Affleck notes. "The way she's approaching that and talking to me about what her preparation is, who she's looking to work with...God, I wish I was as sharp as she is when I was starting. 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, who, along with her partners played by Damon and Affleck, stumbles upon a massive stash of drug money hidden in the walls of a dilapidated house.

Steven Yeun and Teyana Taylor in 'The Rip'.

Warrick Page/Netflix

It's a role that could not be more different from her *One Battle After Another *character, Perfidia Beverly Hills, a member of a far-left revolutionary group who robs banks and plants bombs. She's earned rave reviews for her performances, and, after her Golden Globes win on Sunday, she's the favorite to win the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress.

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Speaking of the awards love, Affleck says, "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."

*The Rip, *also starring Steven Yeun and Kyle Chandler, is streaming now on Netflix.**

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