Fun
Frisky
Nostalgic
Intense
Adventurous
Choked Up
Curious
Romantic
Weird
More On:
Woman Crush Wednesday
Happy Holidays, everyone! No matter what you’re celebrating, something we can all come together on in another brand new Woman Crush Wednesday. This week we’re celebrating an extremely talented actress and dancer who has been making moves on screens big and small for over a decade now and only gets better with every new project. She’s rising to the top so remember her name, give it up for your WCW, the terrific Taylour Paige!
WHO’S THAT GAL: Taylour Paige
WHY WE’RE CRUSHING: Paige stars in the highly-anticipated upcoming film Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, which premieres on Netflix this Friday, December 18th. The film is an adaptation of prolific playwright August Wilson’s 1982 work of the same name, and is set in Chicago, 1927, as tensions rise between Ma Rainey (Viola Davis), her ambitious horn player Levee (Chadwick Boseman, in his final role before his untimely passing), and the white management determined to control the uncontrollable “Mother of the Blues.” Paige plays Dussie Mae, Ma Rainey’s girlfriend who has also caught the eye of Levee.
Critics are already raving about the Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom and its performances, with publications like The Washington Post, BBC News, Variety and more praising the film and Boseman and Davis’s work in particular (both of which are expected to earn Oscar nominations). With top-notch acting talent and music from top to (Ma Rainey’s Black) bottom, this is an absolute must-watch, so make sure to catch Paige and the rest of the cast’s fantastic work in this Oscar contender as soon as it drops.
WHERE YOU’VE SEEN HER BEFORE: Paige’s professional onscreen career began in 2008 in the third and final installment of the beloved High School Musical films, High School Musical 3: Senior Year, in which she was the Featured Dancer for song “I Want It All.” From there she continued to grow, initially appearing in a variety of smaller roles, from 2010 video shorts Alex in Wonderland: Rehearsing Wonderland and Alex in Wonderland: Interview with Debbie Allen, to 2011 comedy short film Mousetrap, to 2015 drama film Touched, before earning bigger roles, like a multiple episode stint on HBO sports comedy-drama Ballers and the starring role of the titular Jean in 2016 comedy film Jean of the Joneses.
Paige took her career to the next level when she landed the role of Ahsha Hayes in BET sports drama series Hit the Floor (which she held from 2013 to 2016), and she has continued to soar since, with roles both guest and recurring on shows like Grey’s Anatomy and The Baxters and in films like 2018 crime drama White Boy Rick and in 2020 drama Zola (as the titular Zola). She is an incredible talent who only continues to grow and excel with time, so make sure you keep your eyes peeled for the long and successful career that Paige has in her future!
WHERE YOU’LL SEE HER AGAIN: Paige is set to star in upcoming Eddie Huang written and directed drama film Boogie, which is expected to have a March 5, 2021 release. Boogie is set in contemporary New York City and follows a Chinese-American basketball phenom who struggles to balance the expectations of his immigrant family with his own dreams of becoming a player for the NBA.
For more from Paige in the meantime, you can follow her on Twitter and Instagram, so you won’t ever miss out again on the latest from your favorite Woman Crush Wednesday.
