The 98th Academy Awards happened on March 15, with Paul Thomas Anderson’s “One Battle After Another” scoring big, including his win for Best Director. Following his victory, the veteran filmmaker responded to criticism of the film’s portrayal of black women, particularly regarding Teyana Taylor and her role as Perfidia Beverly Hills.
Paul Thomas Anderson Responds To Backlash Over Teyana Taylor
Warner Bros. released Anderson’s “One Battle After Another” in September 2025. It starred Leonardo DiCaprio, Chase Infiniti, Sean Penn, Benicio del Toro, Regina Hall, and Taylor. Notably, she received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress and won the Golden Globe in the same category.
Regarding the criticism, many moviegoers felt her character was overly sexualized and portrayed black women in a negative light, given some of her actions in the film. Anderson responded in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter after the Oscars.
He began, “I know a little bit about that critique. I know that Teyana has talked about it a lot. I know that we have the portrayal of many different characters, in particular, her character, who is so flawed and unfortunately makes decisions that are detrimental to the revolution that she is trying to fight.”
The ‘One Battle After Another’ Director Says ‘It’s Complicated’
Anderson continued his response to critics of Taylor’s role in “One Battle After Another,” saying, “It’s complicated. We always knew we were trying to make something complicated. We knew we weren’t making something that was heroic.”
After that, the acclaimed director began discussing some of the obstacles Taylor’s character endured that may have shaped her into who she was. Specifically, he highlighted the film’s discussion of postpartum depression and some of her other unresolved issues.
He also stated that part of the reasoning for her character was to set up the fictional next generation and to show how Infinity’s character in the movie copes with and “manages” the life she was given.
Fans Are Defending ‘OBAA’
Though criticism of Taylor’s character in “One Battle After Another” has been around since the film’s release, there are just as many fans who don’t see the role as problematic. This remains true after Anderson’s comments.
One person said on X, “Are the white characters portrayed any better in this film? DiCaprio’s character is a washed-up stoner, and Penn’s character is a creepy sociopath. Every character in this film is flawed, even the black characters.”
Someone responded to that comment, writing, “It’s the sexual exploitation of her character and how black women are often ONLY seen as sex objects.” After that, a different fan highlighted that there are other black women in “One Battle After Another,” like Hall, for example, who aren’t sexualized.
A different fan wrote, “I always found this criticism to be so silly. The hero of the movie is Willa, who represents the next generation trying to do better. Seeing BOTH parents f-ck up is how we get there. This isn’t a documentary about black revolutionaries; this is a movie about parenthood.”
Lastly, upholding the criticism, someone else stated, “This evasive bullsh-t was awarded Best Picture? Perdidia’s desire to ‘save the world’ was not examined. HATED all drive-bys in which she spewed angry rhetoric at the man who loved her or blasted an automatic rifle while stuffed with Lockjaw’s baby.”
Teyana Taylor Has Defended The Role
Taylor is a busy woman these days. This isn’t only due to the awards success of “One Battle After Another,” but she’s also delving into directing and will soon star as legendary singer Dionne Warwick in an upcoming biopic.
Recently, in January 2026, she spoke to Vanity Fair about the criticism over her role in the now Oscar-winning film. According to Taylor, “I think we don’t enjoy seeing the harsh reality, but this is what’s happening.”
She continued, “Another person interviewed me and mentioned something about Perfidia and how people felt like she was overly horny. And I’m like, do you realize the first thing we see of Perfidia is her having a gun to a guy’s head, and he calls her sweet thing? Are you – are we watching the same film?”
After that, she explained how her character used her sexuality in the film rather than having others take advantage of her. This is, namely, with Penn’s character. The actress said, “Perfidia kind of dived into the, ‘Oh, you think I’m hot? All right, bet. Cool if I get to still do what I’m doing, all I gotta do is show you a little t-tty or something.”
‘One Battle After Another’ Won Six Oscars
“One Battle After Another” was one of the most nominated movies at this year’s Academy Awards with 13 nominations. Ultimately, it took home six trophies, making it the most awarded film of the night. The wins include: Best Picture, Best Directing, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Supporting Actor, Best Film Editing, and Best Casting.
This marked Ander’s first Oscar win after over three decades in the industry. Regarding Penn, who won for Supporting Actor, he now holds the record for the most male acting wins at the ceremony with three.