Press information about “One Battle After Another,” by Paul Thomas Anderson |
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| Written by: Warner Brothers, courtesy WB DK | Date: 10.09.2025 |
 Paul
Thomas Anderson chatting with Leonardo DiCaprio and Benicio Del Toro.
Picture: Warner BrothersFrom Warner Bros. Pictures comes “One Battle After Another,” written, directed and produced by Paul Thomas Anderson and starring Academy Award and BAFTA winners Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn and Benicio Del Toro, and Regina Hall, Teyana Taylor and Chase Infiniti. Washed-up revolutionary Bob (DiCaprio) exists in a state of stoned paranoia, surviving off-grid with his spirited, self-reliant daughter, Willa (Infiniti). When his evil nemesis (Penn) resurfaces after 16 years and she goes missing, the former radical scrambles to find her, father and daughter both battling the consequences of his past. Anderson directs from his own screenplay. The producers are Oscar and BAFTA nominees Adam Somner and Sara Murphy and Anderson, with Will Weiske executive producing. • Go to PDF ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER Credits • Go to gallery Gala premiere in Copenhagen • Go to gallery Poster display in Copenhagen The creative team behind the camera includes several frequent collaborators, among them director of photography Michael Bauman; Oscar-nominated, BAFTA-winning production designer Florencia Martin; BAFTA-nominated editor Andy Jurgensen; Oscar and BAFTA-winning costume designer Colleen Atwood; casting director Cassandra Kulukundis; and Oscar- and BAFTA-nominated composer Jonny Greenwood. Warner Bros. Pictures Presents A Ghoulardi Film Company Production, “One Battle After Another.” Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, the film will be in theaters on VistaVision, 70mm film and IMAX® nationwide on September 26, 2025, and internationally beginning 24 September 2025. • Go to About “One Battle After Another” in VistaVision by Paul Thomas Anderson • Go to “One Battle After Another”: The Large-Format and Large-Aperture Presentations |
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Insights From Writer/Director/Producer Paul Thomas Anderson |
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the impetus for the story… I started working on this story 20 years ago with the goal of writing an action car-chase movie, and I returned to it every two or three years. At the same time, this was in the early 2000s, I had the notion to adapt Thomas Pynchon’s Vineland, a book about the 1960s, which he wrote in the `80s. So, I was trying to decide what the story meant another 20 years later. The third idea floating around in my mind at the time was a character, a female revolutionary. So really for 20 years I had been pulling on all these different threads, and in a way, none of them ever left me. Realistically, for me, Vineland was going to be hard to adapt. Instead, I stole the parts that really resonated with me and started putting all these ideas together. With his blessing. On the film’s modern-day setting and locations… This is the first film I’ve made in a long time that is contemporary, and that’s very freeing. It was a lot of fun because we could kind of go wild and just shoot what we wanted to shoot when we wanted to shoot it, rather than wait for period cars and things to roll up. We kind of had a free pass to get on with it and shape the story in different ways as we went along, and we went to many different communities, from El Paso, Texas to Eureka, California, and that fed us the story as well, those places. The kids at the high school dance in the film are the kids that go to that school. We went there to scout it out, recorded every song that they played, made note of everything they were wearing, and then brought them back and filmed their high school dance. It was a nice way to work, in terms of a contemporary story. On what’s at the core of the film… As an audience member, what I want to see is a story that I can relate to, that’s emotional. For me, that emotion usually comes from a story about family, from the ways in which we love and hate. I find it fairly impossible to keep up with the state of the world these days, so I think that, for me, it’s better to focus on the elements that never go out of style, that an audience really cares about. For this film that is really two things: Can this father find his daughter, and what does it mean to be a family? On the character Bob Ferguson… When we first meet him, Bob—he’s Pat then—wants to change the world. He is in love with Perfidia, but she breaks his heart into a million pieces. She leaves him stuck, unable to move forward, and with nothing to do with his broken heart but sit around and stew in it in one place for a long time. Sixteen years. As that time goes by, he’s not only getting older but also increasingly cranky and closed off. It’s those mundane battles of daily life that are wearing on him. No one, not even Bob, can outrun what’s inevitable. Now he is trying to be a good father and watch his daughter, Willa, and the next generation come up. But they’re not doing it like he did, like Perfidia did, like the revolutionaries he knew in the French 75 did, so it’s hard for him to understand, especially while he’s doing nothing but drinking and smoking pot and watching black-and-white revolutionary films from the `60s all day. |
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 On finally working with Leonardo DiCaprio…Working with Leo was amazing. It was everything that it had been cracked up to be. I think we really enjoyed working together and hope to do it again. It’s one thing when you kind of talk about making a movie, but then when you do it, when you get there on the first day—the first scene we shot was of Bob, stoned, talking to Willa’s teacher—within like five minutes I remember thinking this is going to be a very exciting 100 days. I understand star power. And he’s a terrific collaborator as well. He knows what questions to ask about the story, where there were things to be addressed. We had a terrific time. On newcomer Chase Infiniti as Willa… As soon as we started filming her scenes with Leo, I thought she might be nervous, that I should keep an eye on her. But she wasn’t nervous at all. Or maybe she was, but she didn’t show it. She was instantly a professional. And the work we got from her that day was something quite magical. On Teyana Taylor as Perfidia… Teyana was someone Leo and I talked about for a while. Once we had her on set, I quickly realized that Teyana is best when you give her the green light to cut loose. Let her do her thing and make sure you’re shooting it right. |
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 Savoy,
Hamburg, GermanyOn Sean Penn… I’ve worked with Sean before, on “Licorice Pizza”, so I was glad to have him back. Senn is just at an age where for me, when I was starting out, he was this hero… I remember thinking, Wow, that’s an actor, that’s a man. He really brought layers to Lockjaw that I never anticipated. On Benicio Del Toro’s character Sensei’s line coming into the script… It’s a Nina Simone line… “I’ll tell you what freedom is. No fear. That’s what it is.” I hadn’t put it in the script, but it kept reverberating somewhere in the back of my mind, the further we got into production. Don’t be afraid. Keep going. It was so clearly a line to put into Benicio’s mouth. Actually, just as a philosophy for life and for work, it certainly holds true for me. On delivering humor in an action/drama film… The things I think are funny are the things I think are funny, it’s kind of that simple. When you’re on set and you are collaborating with actors, if they are trying to be funny, it’s not going to be funny. Generally, humor can come out of sincerity, or a dedication to something. Bob is very funny in this film just in his absolute, insane pursuit. He’s a bit hapless, so there’s humor that arises from that. There’s humor in the absurdity of human nature. There’s a certain amount of humor to Lockjaw just in how perverted he is, how confused he is, in his pursuit to be a member of the Christmas Adventurers Club. It’s so absurd. I find humor in peculiar places, for sure, and when you’re on set, if you’re not trying to make and out-and-out comedy, an actor will generally let you know if they are having to try too hard. I will say, though, it’s really nice to go for a cheap laugh if you have a silly idea. Just go for it. On working with his creative team behind the scenes… I’m very lucky to have worked with a lot of the same people for many, many years. The collaboration is the best part of making a movie—the camaraderie that you feel with the people that you’re collaborating with, the trust that you put in them, the way you admire and hold each other up when you’re tired or need support. It’s a team sport for sure, and I’m surrounding by people who I just love, that is a family. It’s the foundation of everything. |
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Words From The Cast… |
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 LEONARDO DICAPRIO“BOB” On working with Paul Thomas Anderson… Paul Thomas Anderson, more than anything, drew me to this project. To do this film with Paul is very special. I've been wanting to work with him for 20-some-odd years now, and to be able to do a film about this subject at this point in time is very meaningful to me. He's a filmmaker that as a writer-director has been such a unique and profound voice of his generation, and is one of the great filmmakers of his time. I've known about him ever since I saw Hard Eight many years ago, and we had talks early on about “Boogie Nights”, so I’ve watched his incredible career blossom. There are so few filmmakers that have an unexpected way of tackling different subjects, and there's always such mystery and intrigue, the element of the unknown with his characters and his stories, that makes you want to continue watching his work. He brought this film to me—it was something he was working on for many years—and I simply jumped at the opportunity to be able to collaborate with him. On the overarching themes of the film… This is not a typical hero’s story. My character, Bob, had within him that ability to protect what he loves and to fight for what he loves, but he’s lost that. And this whole film is about him trying to rediscover that. It's about trying to be fearless in an age where we are riddled with fear and constantly silenced, but coming out of our shells. Bob's representative of that. He's been somebody that's been isolated, suspicious and paranoid, and he's pushed into a set of circumstances where he needs to be fearless. More on the character he plays, Bob… My character, Bob Ferguson, was based on an amalgamation of different revolutionaries from groups in the late 1960s, which Paul wanted to put in a modern context. What if we had a group of anti-government, anti-establish, anti-capitalism young people that came into something for the right reasons, but then ended up cannibalizing themselves and doing things that they regret? And what happens to the next generation, the offspring of that? Bob is what I like to call a don't tread on me, anti-establishment, hippie revolutionary who is paranoid about anything and everything. He doesn't want to be taxed. He doesn't want to be monitored. He's incredibly skeptical of everyone and everything around him. He hides himself off in the middle of the woods and stays home, watches movies like The Battle of Algiers, smokes pot and drinks, but has one objective, and that's to protect his daughter. He's failing at that, until he has to kick into full gear when we see these dark forces from his past come back to get him and the one thing that he's trying to protect most dearly, his daughter. On where the comedy in the film stems from… As an actor, I never really thought of it as humor; it’s a set of circumstances which are not expected, like we find many times in real life. It’s as simple as, what would happen if this guy got stoned too many times watching TV on the couch, and now he’s not able to fight these forces from his past because he can’t remember this one password? He’s now in what seems like a James Bond movie, but he is not capable or well-equipped whatsoever to deal with the opposition in any way. And that creates a very comedic element that I think just comes naturally. I don't think it was something that we tried to force. |
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 On his castmates…We talked very early on about who should play Perfidia, and Teyana [Taylor] kept coming up. She needed to be very outspoken. What is freedom for this character is what Paul kept on bringing up, and that is to not have any fear, and Teyana was very fearless in her approach. Paul sets the template by giving you the tools and the soul of these characters, but he lets you own them, and her performance had a profound impact on the story and the characters right out of the gate. Sean [Penn] plays Lockjaw, an arch villain who’s treacherous, who does horrific things. But he brought a humanity to it and an incredible and unexpected insecurity. Sean was able to pull off this deep feeling of isolation as this threat to his manhood. The role is much more complex than just your standard arch villain, in that respect. There are so many amazing details in his performance. I almost felt sorry for the character in a lot of ways. I've always wanted to work with Benicio [Del Toro]. He had a unique vision for what he wanted this Sensei character to be. He just brought a truth to who this man was, and he was firm in his belief of what he would and wouldn't do, which created this amazing camaraderie between these two men. They are somewhat friendly, they know each other by way of Bob’s daughter, when they are propelled into a very dangerous circumstance. They share the same integral values of freedom and what is right and what is not right—he has a line that freedom means no fear, and it's something that my character's forgotten. Sensei is kind of Bob’s Obi-Wan Kenobi who makes him believe in himself. Early on, my character early gets mixed up in this world of revolutionaries and probably chose the wrong partner to have an offspring with. Regina [Hall] plays this protector, this mother figure that is trying to protect her loved ones and ultimately a maternal figure to Bob’s daughter, Willa. Regina gives an incredible performance in this movie as sort of the base of moral truth in this frenetic world of revolutionaries that Paul puts forth to the audience. And she was incredible to work with. And for Willa, we cast an incredible actress in Chase [Infiniti]. She just gives such a riveting performance. We got to spend some time in these great locations sort of hanging out, having coffee. We developed this—I don't want to say father-daughter dynamic because that's not what we were trying for off-screen—but this sense of humor and this way of teasing one another that infused its way into the movie and that I think is very authentic for this single dad who has to play the mother figure and the father figure. Chase really took command of her character. We really needed somebody that could encapsulate the innocence of her generation, the cynicism of what they think of their parents, the world that they live in, and yet be strong and powerful and do this incredible transformation that she has to make in this movie, where that innocence is then lost. On the key relationship between father and daughter in the film… Ultimately, my character's main objective, his entire journey in the film, is trying to protect this girl from his own past, and I hope we were able to do that together. The way Willa probably looks at her dad is as completely out of date and out of touch with reality and paranoid and, but ultimately they love each other. Again, she symbolizes the next generation and what they're going to do, how they're going to fight back in ways that are different from the generations before them. On the scale of the film… It is big in scale and, it does have certainly those elements and this amazing sort of tension to it that starts from the beginning of the story to the end, and as far as spectacle is concerned, arguably one of Paul’s largest. He shot it on film, in VistaVision. The locations were absolutely incredible. And the action sequences are really bold, but done in a way that is in a Paul Thomas Anderson fashion that is very unexpected. It's not your traditional action film, it's not something that has CGI or feels manipulated by technology in any way. It's very bare bones, real cars, real environments and situations that feel tactile. It's Paul Thomas Anderson's version of action, which is unique to any other action film that we're used to seeing. One of the things that I always love in movies, whether it be action or suspense or the resolution of something within a sort of finite world, is when it has your attention from the beginning and it lasts throughout the entirety of the movie. There's not a second that you can take a breath. And those movies really stand the test of time. And Paul really accomplished that in this movie. You're on the edge of your seat from beginning to the end. |
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 SEAN PENN“COL. STEVEN J. LOCKJAW” On what drew him to the project… This script came to me like a gift. Paul's a special filmmaker and writer, and has been a friend for a long time. We had talked about working together over the years, and I worked with him briefly on Licorice Pizza, so before I read page one, I sat down with high hopes and the assumption that it was going to be something I was going to want to do. Paul's such an original, and I read it, and I started laughing at what he was approaching with the story right away. It was the timeliness of it, the freedom with which he wrote (and writes) was exciting, great characters all the way down the line. It was a page turner. And I did know that Leo was involved, and we had never done anything together before and we’d been close since he was about 15 years old. Watching this great actor that he's become—that he already was when he was doing This Boy's Life. I think I called Paul right away and said, you know, where do I go? On how he would describe the film to someone… I would just say it's a Paul Thomas Anderson film, and I wouldn't tell them a damn thing. Nothing. Just go see it. On working with Paul Thomas Anderson… I think sometimes people use the words too freely, whether it's a film genius or a film great, but I suspect Paul's a film genius. He has a clear vision, yet you never are anything but free and encouraged on his set to bring your ideas. It's like he's got a secret, and he knows you're going to find the character just as he would hope you to find it. He's very specific, but he's really got that gift of appearing effortless in his communication, and you just find yourself trusting him and looking forward to seeing what he does with what you give him. I like to be surprised by what I'm going to see at the end of the day, what Paul's going to do, and this one just makes me giggle. Every time. I've seen the movie several times, and it's not strictly a comedy, per se, it's its own animal. But sometimes even in the most torturous stuff, I just find it's such a giggle because it's a view through an original mind. And I think we don't see enough of that in the movies. I suspect everyone enjoys that, to really be gifted with something fresh. On crafting the physicality of a character whose complexity is both scary and funny… That is hitting on something that goes back to Paul. This is exactly the area that I most relied on him for. Because I wasn't always sure. A director can communicate their vision with you, but in particular, when you have such a nuanced vision, there's only one person on Earth that can wholly see it until we get to see it in the movie theater. I could look at him after a take and be like, “More? Less? What is it?” And he would tell me right away. He would know, and then we'd do that. On working with Leonardo DiCaprio… Leo brings humongous talent and laser focus. He was attentive, and it was exciting to watch. He’s perfect for Paul's writing because he will go as far out or under as it gets. I love him. On working with Teyana Taylor as Perfidia… Teyana’s a force. She's fierce. She's an extraordinarily gifted actress. It just comes on fire and so naturally to her. I was very excited to hear that she was doing Perfidia. I was aware of her, and I found her to be really gifted and very game. One of the better experiences I've had working with an actor. On working with Chase Infiniti as Willa… We did some camera tests, but Paul did not want us to meet early on. And that goes to the relationship in the film. But I would see her around set sometimes, and I saw her in dailies, and I just thought, how did he find someone so perfect for this? On Benicio Del Toro’s performance in the film… In all Benicio’s performances, I think he's as engaging an actor to watch as anybody that's ever been on the screen. I think he's as inventive an actor as I’ve seen, and he’s genuinely one of my favorite actors in cinema. On the action in the film… I was interested in how Paul was going to approach action. I thought it was going to be really interesting to see how a guy who looks at film the way he does handles this. And like everything else he does, it has an originality, it's not a copycat of one thing or another. He's always been very good with casting, but the casting of his crew is just as important. Together, they put a lot of time into thinking that stuff out—with his assistant director, Adam [Somner], with his stunt coordinator, Brian [Machleit]—it was a great team of people. And the music also—what he does with the tone of the film with the music is always a big player in it, and I think beautifully done in this case. I find the movie… I'm moved by the movie, which you don't necessarily see coming. I think that this will connect with a lot of people. |
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 BENICIO DEL TORO“SENSEI SERGIO ST. CARLOS” On what drew him to the project… Three letters. P T A. When Paul Thomas Anderson calls and says, “I got a script and I got a part that I want you to play.” Before I read it, I was in. Simple as that. On his role in the film… Sensei is a karate instructor of Willa, who is the daughter of Bob (the character that Leonardo DiCaprio plays). And when the shit hits the fan and Willa disappears, Leo's character comes to get help from Sensei to try and help him find her. Basically Sensei helps Bob to get from point A to point C in his journey to reunite with his daughter. Sensei provides protection and transportation for Bob while at the same time juggling with his own situation. Allowing Bob and us to peep into Sensei’s world. One could say that for a moment, Sensei becomes Bob’s guardian angel. He sacrifices himself to allow Bob to continue his journey to find his daughter. On the enjoyment of working with Paul Thomas Anderson… Well, first of all, Paul writes a script that is really—it sounds a little cliche—but it's a page turner. It charges. That script charged, you know? And the characters are well developed. They contradict themselves. They can be funny, and dangerous, and friendly all at the same time. There's a lot of contradictions in his characters, which makes them fun for any actor to play with. And then Paul wants to hear your concerns or your thoughts about the characters. We had several meetings before I showed up in El Paso. We talked about the journey of the character and the relationship between Sensei and Bob. Paul won't shy away from a good idea, he'd go for it, and he would explore stuff, and eventually change some stuff along the way. He will collaborate, he will encourage, and he creates a safety net that allows actors to take chances. All I can remember was laughing. Really. Before the takes and then laughing while doing it. And then really laughing after, really enjoying the process, but keeping an eye on the story. I knew the purpose of my character, which was to allow Leo's character to get to his objective, and to protect him as well. I do remember a scene that we're in, in the dojo. It was pretty chaotic. We were trying to choreograph police cars driving by while I'm talking on the phone trying to put on my boots, while Leo crawls on the ground, hiding from being seen through the window. All I was trying to do was be in the moment, perhaps that's where the humor came from, you know? And I think if anyone, Paul knew it would be funny. On working alongside Leonardo DiCaprio… I think Leo is very funny in this movie. He's funny in real life. I've known him for a long time, and this is the first time we worked together. I admire his work. There's mutual respect. We've been making movies now for a long time, both of us. If Hollywood was a university, we're from the same class in a way. We've been friends for a long time, and so that helps that trust. He brought that nervous energy to his character, Bob. His daughter has gone missing and he’s got limited resources to find her while at the same time being chased by a formidable and dangerous villain. It was just fun to work with someone like Leo, who's a great actor. All I had to do was catch what Leo was throwing my way. Basically part of my job was to sit front row and enjoy watching Leo bring Bob to life. On the scale of this film being a bit of a departure for Paul Thomas Anderson… I think Paul has shown that he can surf and turf, you know? He can do an independent movie and make it look classy, expensive. And he can do a big movie and make it bang-o, you know? What I think this movie has, and big movies sometimes may lack, is a lot of humanity, a sense of humor, the failures of the characters, all of them—no one is one-dimensional in this film. It's an action movie, there's tons of action from the beginning to the end, but you're seeing these human beings make mistakes. You’re seeing the cracks, all those things, even though it's big and full of action and stunts and there's explosions, all kinds of action movie stuff. But all through it, it's Paul exploring that human condition. From both extremes, the left or the right, the will of Willa to survive and the unconditional and selfless love of a father for his daughter. I think that's what makes it a little bit different than just an action movie. On the dichotomy of the characters in the film… The bad guys aren't totally bad, and the good guys are tainted as well, they're not goody two shoes, either. With Lockjaw, for example, here’s a character that will do anything, it don’t matter how extreme, to get what he wants. We hate him. And still he can make us laugh, make us think, and in the end even though he’s the bad guy, we feel sad for him. Sean is one of those actors who can bring out these contradicting feelings and make it all work. On observing newcomer Chase Infiniti making her first feature… When I worked with her, she was full of energy and really present, and right there in the moment. I noticed she already had this “language” with Paul – the actor-director language. It might be a look, or a move, or a smile but it’s based on trust and mutual respect. In other words, they were in sync. She’s one hell of a talent that everyone will enjoy in this film. It’s going to be a lot of fun to watch her career go up and up. On what’s at stake in the story… I think what's at stake is fatherhood. That relationship between Leo's character and Chase's character, it's the heart of the film. That's what moves the emotional aspect of the film through all kinds of mistakes and bumps and explosions along the road, so we can see if the daughter will grow up and take hold of her own destiny. |
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 REGINA HALL“DEANDRA” On what drew her to the project… I had always been a fan of Paul Thomas Anderson, and so obviously the opportunity to work with him was the original “yes.” And then I just loved the script. I always love the worlds that Paul creates, I love the characters, I love how stories converge, and I love his storytelling through the way he uses the camera. His filmmaking is equally a part of the storytelling. So I was just really excited to be a part of anything that he worked on, and with such an incredible cast. On her reaction to the script… The script covered an incredibly deep subject matter and was so funny. Paul took what normally would be perhaps controversial, one would say, and he managed to bring so much levity and humor, but he didn't take away from the honesty or the humanity of the characters and the relationships. I was really impressed with how everything kind of aligned in the world, and I could imagine every character. Then, when we actually shot it, it was so much bigger than I imagined, so much bigger and so much better, for lack of a better word, better than I had imagined. On how she would describe the film to someone… I could say it was an action film, I could say it was a comedy, I could say it was a drama… all three, but I’d have to specifically say it's a Paul Thomas Anderson film, because, his storytelling is so unique. I’d have to say it's a spectacle and a fun, wild ride, and yet there’s such humanity and a simplicity to it. Even that just wouldn’t encompass it all, so I’d have to say go see it, then come tell me what you think. On her character, Deandra… Deandra is a part of the French 75 and they're really believing in and fighting for a cause. They want to help people, and do the right thing, and buck up against the powers that be. I would say she has a commitment and hopefulness and dedication from the beginning to the end, but like life, things get a little blurred as time passes and you realize nothing is ever that black and white. There are always layers that are gray. Things for her start with an ideal, and then some human fraility comes in. But she stays committed to whatever she’s committed to, and ultimately, she’s committed to the child. On the relationship Deandra witnesses between Bob and Perfidia… Perfidia Beverly Hills is played by Teyana Taylor very deliciously. And then Ghetto Pat/Bob is played by Leonardo DiCaprio. Perfidia and Pat have such a passionate dynamic, it is a love story, and everything else happens based on the choices of those two individuals. Deandra and Perfidia are close, and Perfidia lives in the moment. She’s complex and impassioned and is the strength and the rebellion of the French 75. Pat is enamored by her passion, but things happen that cause an emotional shift and focus in another area, and like a house of cards it all falls apart. And Deandra sees it happening. She may not say anything, but she looks, and she sees a lot of things that are happening in that situation that don’t look good to her. On working with Chase Infiniti as Willa… Willa is strong and sweet and innocent, and well, she's very important to Deandra. She represents the future and the hope, and Bob loves her very much. Willa has a lot to learn in a very short amount of time in this world. I'm so excited for everyone to get to see Chase Infiniti’s performance, she's every bit delightful. She really showed up from day one, and it wasn't easy. She has some rough scenes, some rough days, some rough shooting. But she was always just going with the flow and amazing. I can't imagine my first film—my first movie ever—being with Sean Penn, Leonardo DiCaprio, Benicio Del Toro, directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, and I just show up. That’s impressive. On the action in the film… This is a Paul Thomas Anderson we haven’t seen before. Certainly in There Will Be Blood, watching that opening scene as they drill for oil—you were so intently focused and without one line of dialogue! How did you do that? That felt big. But the scope of this film? Paul is the only person who can make a car chase exciting with just three cars and nobody switching lanes! It’s action, but it’s a PTA version of action. It’s through his filmmaking lens that the scope feels big, the scenes, how they’re captured… There’s an honesty, but there is certainly an enormity to it. He did not forsake who he is as a filmmaker. You see it and you think, “Of course. If PTA were going to go action, this would be it.” On the experience of the film… This film is heartfelt but it's also funny, and there’s a thrill to it. And there’s something poetic in it as well. With Paul’s films, there is always a bit of wit or ironic humor. I think PTA fans will be beyond thrilled, but the great thing is, I think people who may not necessarily know every single thing he’s done, I think they’re going to go and have a wild ride. |
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 TEYANA TAYLOR“PERFIDIA” On what interested her in the project… Well, it wasn't even a matter of if I was interested or not. I got a call from PTA, and that was already an instant “yes.” And it’s crazy because it's not like he had a producer or an assistant or somebody call me. He called me himself. And I will never forget because I was coming from Joshua Tree and I was in the car—it was a long ride, too—and he was like, “Hey, what's up?” I was like, “Who the hell is this?” He said, “I’m Paul.” I knew instantly when he said, “I’m Paul.” I was like, oh, wow, and we spoke for a good amount of time, and I was down. The process was really dope because I was able to do my read with him and Leonardo, so it wasn't a self-tape audition or anything, it was the most un-audition-y audition because I read a few times. And what I like is that we built her together. I worked really, really hard for it. And what I liked was that it was mine to lose, it was a different type of hustle that I put into it. I knew I really wanted it, but with his big brother energy, I knew I also wanted to just make him very, very proud. I feel like he always knew that I was his Perfidia, but I think he wanted to make sure that I wanted it just as much as he wanted it. On the role she plays in the film… Perfidia Beverly Hills is very complex. You know, Perfidia got a lot going on. And Perfidia is very selfish, but I think that Perfidia is just a girl who is in survival mode. And I think being in survival mode is a scary place. When you're in survival mode, the trust is out the door. So, she's complicated, but it's still something that you empathize with. And I’m not saying that anything she done was right. It's hard to describe her. She's a special lady, she's definitely complex, she's definitely complicated. And she's a survivor. Perfidia for sure is one of my favorite roles. On who the French 75 are in the film… The French 75, we’re this small—I wouldn’t even call us an army—but we're just like this small group of people that are standing up for what we believe in, and our rights, and our bodies, and our say. On working with Leonardo DiCaprio as the character Pat/Bob… My boy Leonardo DiCaprio! Oh, that's my Ghetto Pat. He is so amazing. Leo is so funny. He took me out the whole time—any laughs you see from me has always been real laughs. Even when I'm trying to be serious, he is just somewhere yelling in whatever language he's yelling in, and it's like, let's go, we just blew something up and you sitting here screaming and hollering. I love seeing him in that space. I love seeing him as Bob, as a dad. I love seeing Bob not only be funny, but be vulnerable. You know, seeing him cry over Willa. It’s even funny when he's emotional. I just think his character is so dope and he carries the movie, he carries it well. I think that's what really makes it funny between him and Perfidia. Perfidia is just Perfidia. She's crazy and has no filter in her own right. And then Bob has no filter in his own right. And I just think them together is the oddest but cutest pair. And Paul was really good with giving us the freedom to really cook with our characters, so we were always piggybacking off one another. On working with Sean Penn as Lockjaw… Sean is amazing. It's so crazy because, you know, Sean Penn is Sean Penn. It was really dope working with him because he’ll go from this big, bright smile and then we hear “action,” and it’s just like, it's on. It was incredible to see him work and be alongside him in these scenes. On working with Paul Thomas Anderson… It's amazing because when you're with Paul, you feel like one of his kids, like he really takes you in and it's a safe space. And he pushes you, he never lets you get comfortable, and I love that. When I work with a director, it's that tough love of, “I'm pushing you because I believe in you.” And I think we pushed each other. But it’s like, that's us. Like it's always a blast. It’s always a good time. But it's also like, we playing and joking, then it's like, “Alright, come on, let's get focused. Let's get back into it.” And that's what I love, that balance of his toughness, his love, and his warmth. It's amazing. And I’m a leap taker, I’m a faith walker, and I feel like that’s what he did with this movie. I commend that. He’s always had a big vision, that’s just Paul. His mind is incredible. He went in that kitchen and cooked on every single stovetop that was in there, used every single pot in the cabinet, cleaned every single plate. I was there for it. On the vibe on set… Amazing. You know, like, the whole crew is just like so amazing. And it feels like family, you know, not only am I alongside Paul, but Paul's alongside people he's been working with for decades, so you already know it feels like home. |
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 CHASE INFINITI“WILLA” On making her feature film debut in this film… It was a long audition process, and I never could have imagined that it would have panned out the way that it has. I'm so beyond grateful to Paul for giving me the chance to be a part of it. Especially at the beginning, I felt very anxious going into it because of who it was, who was in it, the level of the story. So, it was very daunting at first, but we built a family on set, and I was so supported and so comforted by everybody that it helped me grow within the part, and also made it very easy from the start to feel comfortable to explore the story with everybody. On her character, Willa, drawing her to this project… I think Willa is at the core of this story. When I first read the script, and even while exploring her entire personality and arc, she just felt like such a complicated character. There are so many things in her life that were left unanswered. And so many things that she thinks that she knows that throughout the film, she comes to understand that she actually doesn't know everything about her story and about her dad's story, and about just how life works in general. But I think that that's definitely something that drew me to the project. On developing Willa and Bob’s relationship with Leonardo DiCaprio… Bob and Willa's relationship in the film is something that truly drives the film itself—the love that Bob has for Willa and the extremes that he will go to just to protect the one person that he truly loves. And I think getting to find the levels of their relationship was such an inspiring thing to do with Leo because obviously he is Leonardo DiCaprio, and he has had a plethora of experience. He's been in at least one of everybody’s favorite films. So, getting to have that journey with him and have those in-depth conversations with him was a treat. It is something that I'll never forget, because he just taught me so much about going deep into character dynamics and thinking beyond the surface level of a character, which I really appreciate. Every character in the film is complex and complicated. Bob and Willa are in survival mode, and Bob is seeing his past catch up with the one thing in his present that matters. So, the stakes are really high for them. Up to now, Bob really has been stuck in time and Willa, essentially her entire life, has been picking up the pieces, even though she doesn't really understand how they got to be that way. When you first meet her, she's expressing high levels of annoyance with having to almost parent her parent. She is missing a part of her that she knows that she's missing, but doesn't really understand to what level, and Bob never is really completely open and honest with her. I think that is what really drives a wedge between the two of them. On working with Benicio Del Toro… I think Sensei to Willa is almost, in a sense, everything that Bob is not. Very grounded, very sure of himself, but also alert in the ways that Willa views as the correct ways to be alert. He instills in her so much power and so much courage, and I think her interactions with Bob stem from the power that Sensei has given her, the self-assuredness. I think she takes that too far, being sure of the world and not expecting anything to really happen because she is convinced that she knows how everything goes. Benicio as Sensei is immediately the most grounded individual, you could see that he sinks into the character, and it seems so natural to him. It was very calming to just be in a room with him while he was getting into character, or to be in the scene itself, just watching him because he has such a calming aura. He was also very funny, and that made you want to play, to be brought into his world and the world that he and Willa share together. |
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 On working with Sean Penn…Lockjaw is what I would picture as my worst enemy coming to get me, and Sean brought such an intensity to him that truly was terrifying at times. I remember the first time that I met him was our first day shooting together, and right from the get-go we are getting into this intense scene. And he just brought such an intensity to that scene and to those moments that I genuinely was scared. Then, between takes, it was cool to see how he would shift between himself and Lockjaw. Just watching him amp up the intensity or amp up his motivation within the scene was really cool. On working with Paul Thomas Anderson… Working with Paul was, in my experience, an actor's dream, because he just wants you to play and he gives you the permission to explore the character in ways that even he potentially couldn't see. And he was there to guide us along the way and say, “Okay, well, why do you think that?” And we'd have discussions back and forth. He trusted us all to stay authentic to our own characters, for me to stay authentic to Willa. And I think that because he trusted me, because he trusted us, it let us play a lot more within the world. |
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 On working with Regina Hall…Regina is a gem to work with. I love her, and when I first auditioned for the film, I did a chemistry read with her. The first scene that you see with Willa and Deandra was my camera test scene, or, I guess, my callback scene. And Deandra to Willa is almost like a guide that Willa doesn't want to trust, but knows that she should. And then the more that you see the two of them together, you see that Deandra is the most honest person that Willa has met in the story. I think that Willa seeing that, even if she doesn't acknowledge it, keeps her drawn to Deandra. She's still guarded, but it helps her trust her because she is such a wise, honest person. On her fight scenes in the film… Honestly, I have wanted nothing more since I was a kid than to be in action films. I remember going to the theaters and seeing movies with my parents, and I was like, “Oh, it seems so cool, superhero movies—they fight for the good guys.” Getting to do stuff like that in this film let me do something I've never done before as an actor, and to tap into the physicality of acting in a way that's outside of walking across a scene or interacting with another character. Instead, you're physically connecting with somebody, and you don't have anything to sugarcoat each other's feelings in that moment. When Lockjaw and Willa get into it, I love it because these are two people who don't have to say a single word, but you know exactly what they are thinking just based on their physicality. I was very excited to do that. On describing this film to friends and family… I have told my friends and family that the best way to describe it is action-comedy, because there's so many comedic parts. And because I don't want to ruin the magic of it, I always tell people that it's not going to go where you think it's going to go—every time you think you can predict what's going to happen, trust it’s going to go in the opposite direction. |
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Behind The Scenes With Producer Sara Murphy |
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 On the genesis of the project…I think Paul has been developing this project for actually almost 20 years in little bits and pieces. And obviously the script has taken different shapes over many years. There was always the inspiration of Thomas Pynchon’s book [Vineland], and I think it also just took on the world around him. It's kind of the world we lived in 50 years ago and 15 years ago and today and maybe 15 years in the future. But I feel like the reason it remains so timeless is because at the core of it, it's really about a father's love for his daughter and the lengths he’ll go to in order to protect her and save her. And then there’s a lot of chaos and fun around that. On the setting and tone of the film… The story takes place in Anywhere USA and is very grounded, but Paul’s done some incredible world-building, introducing heightened versions of various factions that introduce a myriad of villains and foes and friends along the way. Through all that, it’s a really fun, action-packed thriller from start to finish, with a lot of laughs. It doesn’t take itself too seriously, but at the end of the day is a truly emotional journey of this father and daughter. On the main character, Bob… Bob Ferguson is, I think, most notably somebody who—despite the world working against him and the past coming back to haunt him—relentlessly, unconditionally loves his daughter. So much so that he’s gone into hiding and sacrificed his own life for the sake of her safety. Some of the influences on the Bob character, I think, come from the perspective of having become your own parents at some point. You are a little bit curmudgeonly and stuck in your ways, and the youth today aren’t doing it as well as you did. The catalyst for Bob’s evolution is that his daughter goes missing, and he needs to save her. On Leonardo DiCaprio delivering a comedic turn in the role of Bob… I think the comedy in Leo's character comes from him having to sort of step outside of himself. He is a little bit settled in his ways and a little bit slower than his feet need him to be, in a way that he's going to have to shake off in order to actually proceed. Also, his interactions along the way take him on an odyssey of sorts, in terms of how people are going to help him and influence him, so Leo had an opportunity for incredible physical comedy in this. On Sean Penn as Lockjaw… I think this character, Lockjaw, is particularly bonkers, and Sean does not hold back. I think it's one of the greatest characters I've ever seen him play, and I'm the biggest Sean Penn fan of all time. He just really goes for it, but also delivers deep humanity at the same time as being an incredible villain. On the complexities of the various entities, “good” or “bad,” seen in the film… I think it's really about finding and understanding the ridiculousness in the extremes of both sides, in the same way that Lockjaw is an extreme, the Christmas Adventurers Club is an extreme, I think Perfidia is also extreme among the revolutionaries. And they're both dangerous. I think that's the fine balance of the film. On the search for the actor to portray Willa… The search for Willa took years. Cassandra Kulukundis, our casting director, interviewed and auditioned many, many young actresses. She had to be able to stand up against the caliber of actors that Paul was lining up, at the same time as have her own inner strength. She was going to have to exhibit a lot of endurance over the course of this entire shoot, it’s so physical, this role. And Chase Infiniti is incredible. She was the perfect fit. She's quite fearless as a young actress, and it's very impressive. She came in there and took it very seriously. She was in martial arts training, she studied and trained for a long time. She was talking with Paul for many, many months before we started the filming process. We did some early camera tests leading into the production, and it was immediately clear that she could go toe-to-toe with Leo. And it was a perfect fit. It was very fun to watch them develop that relationship as father and daughter. |
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 On Benicio Del Toro as Willa (and Bob’s) Sensei…I think Benicio is the coolest guy in the room, I think that's what he brings to the party. Obviously he has a long standing relationship with Paul, and they developed that character together a little bit on the ground. What was kind of magical about it is we didn't have access to Benicio until we landed in El Paso—the city of El Paso was so wonderful to us and sort of gave us the keys to the city. We had built out so many spaces, so many apartments. Benicio’s apartment is a total build, but within an actual apartment in El Paso. And he showed up and settled into that role and into that world. And from there, we were able to actually craft an additional storyline. The entire Underground Railroad storyline really evolved from those moments on set and from taking advantage of what was really there in El Paso, and feeling what that environment really is for immigrants on the ground today. So, we ended up pivoting while we were there to introduce that storyline a little bit more. And the two of them, Paul and Benicio, along with Leo, actually sat down and really orchestrated that whole sequence of the film. On Regina Hall’s more dramatic role of Deandra… Regina Hall's character, Deandra, is sort of the rock for everyone throughout the film. She is loyal, she's steady, she's dependable. She's right all of the time. And Regina Hall is an incredible actor. We've mostly seen her do comedic roles, but I think she brings stability to the movie as Deandra. I love seeing her in a more dramatic role because she can really carry it, and she carries a lot in this particular movie. On the various organizations seen throughout the film: the French 75, the Christmas Adventurers Club, the unnamed military force… Paul's done an incredible world-build with this film. A lot of the factions and groups and institutions all have shades of things we maybe know and can point to, but they're sort of the extreme versions of all of those organizations, portrayed in a way that we can laugh at and find fun in, along with fear. Like any great Western, for example, I feel like there has to be more than one person chasing the girl. And I think he's interwoven all of these different groups in such a fun way. And they were very fun to cast and to build out. I mean, the Christmas Adventurers Club are a group of sweater-vested men who we assume are making decisions behind closed doors that we have no control over. But they are fictional, they don’t point to any one particular group of people. On the film’s edge-of-your-seat tension… I think one of the aspects of this film that is the most fun is the constant tension. From the get, it shoots you out of a rocket and then doesn’t stop, and you don’t know where it’s going. That’s also what is so fun about it—it’s very difficult to anticipate what is coming next, which just keeps you on the edge of your seat. |
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Film Facts |
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 Director of photography Michael Baumann shot
the film in VistaVision, as Paul Thomas Anderson wished to allow audiences
to experience the film in both that large format and in additional large
formats that include IMAX®, as well as 70mm film.“One Battle After Another” marks the first collaboration between Paul Thomas Anderson and veteran costume designer Colleen Atwood. To infuse the film with visual authenticity, Paul Thomas Anderson opted to shoot on location in real places, as opposed to trying to cheat them or build them. Anderson and production designer Florencia Martin, along with supervising location manager Michael Glaser, started the location scout years in advance, allowing Anderson to further flesh out the story which, producer Sara Murphy says, was very much designed to be a road show. From Sacramento to Borrego Springs and beyond, the production shot or lodged in over 10 counties in California, prepping and striking in numerous cities simultaneously, which gave the teams ample time to get ahead in rigging locations. Production started in Eureka, California before ping-ponging down through California, then over to El Paso, Texas. Because California is so vast and boasts so many different climates and a range of topography, the production found it easy to get outside of Los Angeles and find new areas to shoot. That included Sacramento, a great city to shoot in, according to supervising location manager Michael Glaser, because it hasn't been filmed a lot, and has a lot of striking brutalist architecture that hasn't been featured on film and can’t be found in L.A. The city of El Paso, Texas, welcomed the production for the duration of its time there. Because the city has a limited late-night life, with many businesses shutting down by 6:00 p.m., the production was able to capture several sequences that included driving at night, essentially changing their path from one night to the next. All of the car chases seen in the film were designed by Paul Thomas Anderson and, along with stunt coordinator Brian Machleit and others, blocked each sequence out using Matchbox cars. Anderson’s goal was to determine where the cameras should be and how to make everything along the street appear random and off the cuff, in order to catch the audience off guard. The film’s climactic car chase sequence was captured near Highway 78 in Borrego Springs, California, near the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park Road, over a series of undulating hills the production dubbed the River of Hills. Leonardo DiCaprio accomplished almost all of his own stunts, including driving and jumping over fences, jumping out of a car and jumping off the roof of a building. Under the supervision of stunt coordinator Brian Machleit and in collaboration with Machleit and Anderson, the actor rehearsed the latter stunt for approximately a week. Benicio Del Toro did all his own stunt driving in the film. Chase Infiniti did her own fight sequences, training with stunt coordinator Brian Machleit’s team in martial arts and driving, building confidence as well as skills. Teyana Taylor also did her own stunts, including a flat out run for three to four blocks before having to hit her mark—jumping sideways into a minivan going at top speeds. |
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About the Cast |
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 LEONARDO
DICAPRIO (Bob) is an Academy Award award-winning actor who has been
recognized for his work as an actor, producer, and activist. He has been
nominated for seven Academy Awards, five BAFTA Awards, eleven Screen Actors
Guild Awards and thirteen Golden Globe Awards. In 2015, he won his first
Academy Award for Best Actor as well as the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a
Motion Picture Drama and BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role for
his portrayal of Hugh Glass in the film The Revenant. He has earned critical
acclaim for roles in films like Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, The Wolf of
Wall Street, Inception, The Great Gatsby, and Django Unchained, alongside
his work with director Martin Scorsese on films such as The Aviator, The
Departed, Shutter Island, Gangs of New York, and Killers of the Flower Moon.
DiCaprio’s film career began in the early 1990s with standout performances
in This Boy’s Life and What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, the latter earning him
his first Academy Award nomination. DiCaprio has partnered with renowned
director Paul Thomas Anderson for his latest film, One Battle After Another.
In addition to acting, DiCaprio co-founded the production company Appian Way, alongside Jennifer Davisson, which has backed critically acclaimed films such as The Aviator, The Revenant, and The Wolf of Wall Street. The company has also put forth strong efforts to gain headway in the documentary world, especially as it pertains to progressive environmental change, producing films such as Path of the Panther, We Are Guardians, Virunga, Cowspiracy: The Sustainability Secret, Sea of Shadows, and Ice on Fire. Outside of his film work, DiCaprio is the founding board member of Re:wild, a brand with the goal of protecting and restoring the diversity of life on Earth through innovative collaborations among individuals, communities, Indigenous peoples, governments, scientists and businesses to drive the most pressing nature-based solutions to our planet’s urgent crises. |
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decoration, Palads Teatret, Copenhagen, DK. Picture: Thomas HauerslevSEAN PENN (Col. Steven J. Lockjaw) is an actor, filmmaker and author with a highly regarded career spanning over four decades. As an actor, Penn has been nominated five times for the Academy Award® as Best Actor for DEAD MAN WALKING, SWEET AND LOWDOWN, I AM SAM and won his first Oscar® in 2003 for his searing performance in Clint Eastwood's MYSTIC RIVER and his second Oscar® as Best Actor in 2009 for Gus Van Sant's MILK. He’s been further recognized with Best Actor awards from the Cannes, Berlin, and Venice film festivals and by the Screen Actors Guild, Golden Globes, New York Film Critics Circle, and Los Angeles Film Critics. Additional credits include DADDIO, SHE’S SO LOVELY, HURLYBURLY, 21 GRAMS, THE THIN RED LINE, THE TREE OF LIFE, CARLITO’S WAY, THE GAME, and FAST TIMES AT RIDGEMONT HIGH. Upcoming, Penn stars opposite Leonardo DiCaprio in Paul Thomas Anderson’s ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER, which releases theatrically on September 26th. As a filmmaker, Penn’s esteemed work includes INTO THE WILD, which was named to countless Top Ten Films of 2007 lists, and ultimately garnered two Academy Award® nominations as well as nominations from the DGA and WGA for Penn’s directing and writing, respectively. He made his directorial debut with 1991's THE INDIAN RUNNER, which he also wrote and produced. Penn wrote and directed the American contribution to 11'09”01 SEPTEMBER 11, an anthology film which gathered 11 acclaimed directors from around the world to create short films in response to the horrific events of September 11, 2001. The film was nominated for a French Cesar in 2003 and received special prizes at the Venice Film Festival and from the National Board of Review. Additional directing credits include THE CROSSING GUARD, which Penn also wrote and produced; THE PLEDGE starring Jack Nicholson; and FLAG DAY starring Dylan Penn. Penn co-directed the Emmy®-nominated documentary SUPERPOWER, which provides a front-row seat to the incredible story of President Zelensky and the invasion of Ukraine. Through Projected Picture Works, a production company Penn co-founded alongside John Wildermuth and John Palmer, they recently produced the highly acclaimed feature film SEPTEMBER 5, which earned Best Picture nominations from the PGA and Golden Globes and an Oscar nomination for Best Screenplay. Penn is a long-time promoter of civil rights in efforts that have taken him to areas of conflict and oppression throughout the world and has received numerous honors and awards for these efforts including The Commander's Award for Service (US Army 82nd Airborne Division); the 2012 Peace Summit Award at the 12th World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates; Ukraine’s Order of Merit; and Penn was knighted by Haitian President Rene Preval. In January 2010, Penn established J/P HRO in the immediate aftermath of the catastrophic Haiti earthquake. The emergency relief nonprofit was renamed CORE (Community Organized Relief Effort) and continues to bring immediate aid and recovery to underserved communities across the globe. CORE was named the Philanthropic Organization of the Year at The Hollywood Reporter’s Social Impact Summit in July 2025. |
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decoration, Grand Teatret, Copenhagen, DK. Picture: Thomas HauerslevBENICIO DEL TORO (Sensei Sergio St. Carlos) has earned critical accolades throughout his career, winning an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Steven Soderbergh’s Traffic as well as an Oscar nomination for his work in Alejandro Gonzáles Iñárritu’s 21 Grams. Del Toro re-teamed with Soderbergh to star in the biography of Che Guevera, Che, which won him a Palme d’Or for Best Actor at the Cannes Film Festival in 2008 and the Goya award (Spain’s main national film award) for Best Actor. In addition to winning an Academy Award for Traffic, his performance also garnered a Golden Globe Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award and BAFTA Award, the Silver Bear Award at the Berlin International Film Festival, as well as citations from the New York Film Critics Circle, the National Society of Film Critics, and the Chicago Film Critics Association. His work in 21 Grams also earned him the Audience Award for Best Actor at the 2003 Venice International Film Festival. He earned Independent Spirit Awards for his performances as Fred Fenster in Bryan Singer's The Usual Suspects; Benny Dalmau in Julian Schnabel's Basquiat and best ensemble for Paul Thomas Anderson’s Inherent Vice. Del Toro next stars in Paul Thomas Anderson’s much anticipated One Battle After Another, alongside Leonardo DiCaprio. The film opens on September 26. Earlier this summer he starred in Wes Anderson’s “The Phoenician Scheme” for Focus Features. The film premiered in competition at the Cannes Film Festival. He previously starred in Anderson’s The French Dispatch, which premiered at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival and was released by Searchlight. Recent projects include Netflix’s Reptile, in which he also executive produced and was directed by prolific music video director Grant Singer, making his feature film debut; Steven Soderbergh’s crime thriller No Sudden Move for HBO Max; and the Showtime limited series Escape at Dannemora, directed by Ben Stiller for which Del Toro received an Emmy nomination for Lead |
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 Actor in a Limited Series. In 2018, Del Toro starred in Stefano Sollima’s Sicario: Day of the Soldado, the follow up film to Denis Villeneuve’s 2015 Sicario, in which he starred opposite Emily Blunt and Josh Brolin, and received a BAFTA Award nomination. He also appeared in Walt Disney Pictures/Marvel Enterprises Avengers: Infinity War reprising his role as ‘The Collector’ from James Gunn’s 2014 action film, Guardians of The Galaxy, and in 2017, he appeared in Rian Johnson’s Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Del Toro made his motion picture debut in John Glen's License to Kill opposite Timothy Dalton's James Bond and has earned critical acclaim for his performances ever since. Previous works include Fernando Leon de Aranoa’s drama A Perfect Day with Olga Kurylenko and Tim Robbins, Andrea Di Stefano’s Escobar: Paradise Lost; Paul Thomas Anderson’s Inherent Vice; Arnaud Desplechin’s Jimmy P; Joe Johnston’s The Wolfman; Oliver Stone’s Savages; the film adaptation of Frank Miller’s graphic novel Sin City, directed by Robert Rodriquez; Peter Weir's Fearless; George Huang's Swimming with Sharks; Mark Osborne’s animated drama, The Little Prince; Abel Ferrara's The Funeral; Guy Ritchie's Snatch; Sean Penn's The Indian Runner and The Pledge; Christopher McQuarrie's The Way of the Gun; William Friedkin's The Hunted; Susanne Bier’s Things We Lost in the Fire starring opposite Halle Berry and as Dr. Gonzo in Terry Gilliam's Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Born in Puerto Rico, Del Toro grew up in Pennsylvania. He attended the University of California at San Diego, where he appeared in numerous student productions, one of which led to his performance at a drama festival at the Lafayette Theater in New York. Del Toro studied at the Stella Adler Conservatory under the tutelage of Arthur Mendoza. |
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 Award
winning actress and producer REGINA HALL (Deandra) began her career in New
York City while simultaneously earning a master’s degree in journalism from
NYU. With numerous film and television credits to her name, Hall is one of
Hollywood’s most sought-after actresses and producers. She next stars in Paul Thomas Anderson’s ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER, and Paramount Animation and Nickelodeon Animation’s THE SPONGEBOB MOVIE: SEARCH FOR SQUAREPANTS for her first animated film, alongside Sherry Cola, George Lopez and Ice Spice, which opens December 19th. She’ll also star in Nick Stoller’s JUDGEMENT DAY opposite Will Ferrell and Zac Efron. Hall is currently in production on THE FIVE STAR WEEKEND for Peacock, opposite Jennifer Garner, Chloë Sevigny, Gemma Chan and Timothy Olyphant. Hall was seen in the Searchlight Pictures original rock opera O'DESSA set in a post-apocalyptic future, alongside Sadie Sink, Murray Bartlett, and Kelvin Harrison Jr. In 2022, Hall reprised her role as Candace in Peacock’s “The Best Man: The Final Chapters” starring alongside Taye Diggs, Nia Long, and Morris Chestnut. The series catches up with the beloved characters from the film franchise THE BEST MAN and THE BEST MAN HOLIDAY. Hall received an NAACP Image Award nomination. In 2024, Hall and her production company Rh Negative signed an exclusive first-look deal with Amazon MGM Studios to develop and produce original unscripted true crime, ensemble docuseries, and game genres. Hall founded the company in 2022, quickly establishing herself as a producer to watch by producing and starring in two of the headlining features of the 2022 Sundance Film Festival: the mega church dark comedy HONK FOR JESUS, SAVE YOUR SOUL opposite Sterling K Brown and the occult drama MASTER for Amazon Prime. Hall received critical acclaim for both performances as well as a nomination for an Independent Spirit Award and an NAACP Image Award. That same year, Hall starred in the #1 Netflix comedy opposite Kevin Hart and Mark Wahlberg. She has since signed 2021 was a year to watch Hall on television. She starred in the celebrated David E. Kelley Hulu drama Nine Perfect Strangers, with a cast ensemble including Nicole Kidman and Melissa McCarthy earning her critical acclaim and an NAACP Image Award as well as ‘Dawn Darcy’ in the hit Showtime comedy series Black Monday, for which she appeared opposite Don Cheadle for three seasons. She also served as producer on the project. In 2017, Hall starred in the fan favorite GIRLS TRIP alongside Jada Pinkett Smith, Queen Latifah, and Tiffany Haddish. The film was a global hit bringing in more than $140 million worldwide and was one of the year’s biggest and most talked-about films. The following year, Hall became the first African American actress to ever win a New York Film Critics Circle award for Best Actress for her role in Andrew Bujalski’s SUPPORT THE GIRLS. Other past films include: BREAKING NEWS IN YUBA COUNTY with Allison Janney and Mila Kunis, SHAFT opposite Samuel L. Jackson, SUPPORT GIRLS, THE HATE U GIVE with Issa Rae and Amanda Stenberg, WHEN THE BOUGH BREAKS, BARBERSHOP 3, THINK LIKE A MAN TOO a sequel to Screen Gems’ THINK LIKE A MAN, ABOUT LAST NIGHT, LAW ABIDING CITIZEN, PAID IN FULL and SCARY MOVIE, as well as its three sequels. Hall also had supporting roles in LOVE AND BASKETBALL and DISAPPEARING ACTS. On television, she appeared in guest roles on “Grandfathered,” “Insecure,” and “Black-ish.” Other credits include WITH THIS RING, “Married,” “Law & Order: LA” and “Ally McBeal.” |
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 After
pivoting from a successful music run, R&B superstar TEYANA TAYLOR (Perfidia)
is now embarking on a creative renaissance, adding actress, producer,
director, choreographer and stylist credits to her incredible career. Teyana has received critical acclaim for her role in Focus Features’ A THOUSAND AND ONE playing Inez, a mother who kidnaps her son from the foster care system to reclaim their identity in a rapidly changing New York City. She was awarded with the National Board of Review’s “Breakthrough Performance” Award and honored at the Critics Choice Awards Celebration of Cinema & Television for her “Breakthrough Performance”. She was also nominated for “Outstanding Lead Performance” at the Gotham Awards Written and “Best Lead Performance” at the Independent Spirit Awards. Directed by A..V. Rockwell, the film premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival and won the 2023 Grand Jury Prize in the dramatic category. Teyana’s past film credits include The Book of Clarence, Coming 2 America, White Men Can’t Jump (2023) The Trap, The After Party, Honey: Rise Up and Dance, Brotherly Love, The Love Section, Gang of Roses II: Next Generation, Madea’s Big Happy Family, Stomp the yard 2: Homecoming and Tyler Perry’s tense drama ‘Straw’ alongside Taraji P. Henson and Sherri Shepherd which release on Netflix in June 2025. Up next, Teyana will make her directorial debut with ‘Get Lite’ starring Storm Reid. The film is in production at Paramount Pictures and will be produced by Reid’s A Seed & Wings Production and Kenya Barris’ Khalabo Ink Society. Teyana will also be featured in Paul Thomas Anderson’s upcoming feature ‘One Battle After Another’ alongside Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn and Regina Hall; Ryan Murphy’s legal series, “All’s Fair” with Sarah Paulson, Niecy Nash, Naomi Watts, Kim Kardashian, and Glenn Close; and the upcoming Netflix crime thriller RIP starring Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, and Sasha Calle. Teyana began her career on the R&B music scene in the 2010’s dropping her debut album VII, with tracks like gold-selling “Maybe” (featuring Yo Gotti and Pusha T) and the sultry “Just Different”. The album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart in 2014, cementing her position in today’s modern R&B field. “I fought for that raw, hood necessary R&B and now I feel like it's better than ever,” she says. In June of 2018, the world caught up with Teyana’s multifaceted abilities and the depths of her talents when she released her second album project K.T.S.E. She went on to receive critical acclaim for her third studio album titled "The Album" which debuted at #1 on the Billboard R&B charts and #8 on the Billboard Top 200 and offers features from artists such as Missy Elliot, Future, Erykah Badu, Ms. Lauryn Hill, Davido, Elton John and more. Teyana announced in 2025 that she will be returning to music after with a highly anticipated comeback album, “Escape Room” which released in late August. In 2017, Teyana launched her all-female production company The Aunties, a creative collective of women that create dope visuals. With The Aunties, Teyana self-directed videos for her second album, including, “WTP,” the RIAA platinum-certified single “Gonna Love Me,” and recently, gold-selling single “Issues/Hold On,” and every video in conjunction with her third studio album. This led to Teyana winning Director of the Year at the BET Awards in 2020 - up against industry heavyweights such as Benny Boom and Dave Meyers. Teyana has also directed videos for her peers like T.I. (“You”), Monica (“Commitment”), Wale (“Love”...Her Fault featuring Bryson Tiller), Lil Duval (“Pull Up” featuring Ty Dolla $ign) with icons like Ms. Lauryn Hill and Elton John praising her creative moves. After much success, in 2021, Teyana and The Aunties expanded to a full-service company where they now offer musical direction, choreography, production, visual content, wardrobe, stage presence and more services. Since then, Teyana has worked with music artists like Latto and Lil Baby on their musical and creative direction and has styled stars like Usher. |
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 Imperial
Bio, Copenhagen, DenmarkA powerhouse on the screen, actress CHASE INFINITI (Willa) is one of Hollywood’s most promising rising talents. Infiniti will next star in Paul Thomas Anderson’s feature film ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER opposite Leonardo DiCaprio, Benicio del Toro, and Teyana Taylor. The film is inspired by Thomas Pynchon's novel VINELAND and is set to be released theatrically via Warner Bros. on September 26th, 2025. Infiniti is best known for her breakout performance in David E. Kelley’s Apple TV+ Limited Series “Presumed Innocent” opposite Jake Gyllenhaal and Ruth Negga. Since its release in June 2024, the series has become Apple TV+’s most-watched drama in the streamers history. Variety hailed the series as "one of the best legal thrillers to arrive on television in years.” Infiniti recently wrapped production for Hulu’s “The Testaments,” the highly awaited spinoff of “The Handmaid’s Tale.” Infiniti leads the series opposite Ann Dowd, Lucy Halliday, and Rowan Blanchard. The series takes place 15 years after the events of “The Handmaid’s Tale” and will tell the coming-of-age story of a new generation of young women in Gilead. |
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 • Go to Press information about “One Battle After Another,” by Paul Thomas Anderson |
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