Original subtitles

You should ask me all the Q questions up top.

You know what I'm saying? You start asking the deep ones as we get deeper

these wings, it's insane.

Hey, what's going on everybody? For First We Feast, I'm Sean Evans and

watching Hot Ones. It's the show with hot questions and even hotter wings.

And today we're joined by Tiana Taylor.

She's fresh off a Golden Globe Award win and Oscar nomination for Best

Supporting Actress for her performance in the film One Battle After Another.

Also a Grammy Award nominated musician as well. Her latest album is called

Escape Room. But you know what? You can't run away from the wings of death

today. Tiana Taylor, welcome to the show. Cannot escape the wings of death

today. What's going on?

How are you around spicy food before we get started?

I'm a spicy food girl. I love spicy food. Like everything, all my food that

cook, if you're going to eat in my house, it's going to be spicy for sure.

I just don't know what you planted in these wings, so I'm like... Caution. You

know, alert.

Mm -hmm.

Very alert.

Head on a swivel. Yeah, I can't curse you right now. You know what I'm saying?

get it. This is like we're literally trapped in an escape room, and it's only

one way out.

Through. No, it's either one of us got to go.

You know what I'm saying?

You ever see those movies where it's like... Two enter, one leave.

That's what's going on today. Only one can go. Y 'all figure out who's going to

be the one. It's getting sore, you know?

So... So this first one is Garlic Delight, and you'll start over to your

I'm not coming in here being cocky because the ones that be coming here

shit.

The main one's croaking.

You recognize that pattern. I've seen that pattern many times before. Very

smart.

So across your many projects, it's kind of mind -blowing how many luminaries

across different disciplines you've turned into advocates and collaborators,

know, from Dionne Warwick to Lauren Hill, from Matt Damon to Leonardo

What's your approach to balancing being a student of the greats while

simultaneously having the confidence to go toe -to -toe with them creatively?

Ooh, I think...

I think that's the whole point, you know, me wanting to make them proud, you

know, to go from being home and watching them to actually looking to the side

and watching them be beside me is insane. And because I don't take that

granted, my goal is like, is no turning back. You see how neither one of us

could escape this room right now? We can't. I can't escape the set.

I'm always just locked in. And even if I am nervous, I just, I got to take it

off. The moment they yell action, it's up.

I can see it today. You know, you're showing no sign of trepidation. You

you're cautious, but you're confident. Yes.

Careful. And on that note, are you ready to move on here to wig number two?

Is it sriracha?

This is. It's a pickled garlic sriracha here. Ooh, pickled garlic. Okay.

Well, I'll just keep you got me all flat.

I'm a flaps kind of girl. We pay attention to the rider over here, all

take a lot of pride in that.

You know, it's very given detail -oriented. I like this show already.

I like it here.

So last summer, you enrolled in the Escoffier School for Culinary Arts,

a degree in both pastry and culinary. What has so far been the most

dish or technique to master? Have you tried your hand at the perfect beurre

blanc yet?

No, but...

Fabricating protein is so hard.

But I ain't going to front. It's so good. It turned out so good. It was

the process.

When you close your eyes and picture in your mind your dream Tiana Taylor

restaurant, what's the picture look like? Can you paint it for us?

That'll be something cool. I want to bring the skates back.

You know, I need them to bring the skates back.

Maybe a little duck.

And maybe the seats look like you're in a drive -in.

Sort of 50s era.

Yeah. I see the vision. And I think I want tie -dye, chef jackets, or leather.

I'm very extra. So it's going to be something cute.

I know that. Maybe like patchwork or like, you know, it's going to be

cute. Not just the logo right there. Like, no, I need the logo right here. I

need a big logo on the back.

The merch will go hard. You already know I'm feeling the merch. I got merch

everywhere.

I season my chicken in mustard.

Once you season it, you got to marinate that thing in mustard.

Getting lots of chicken pips already, you know, and we can use those over here

at this show. Me don't burn no chicken.

You know, I don't play with my fried chicken now.

So in your documentary, Assembly Required, there's this scene where

struggling through a pre -show sprained ankle. You have problems with the

lighting. And it made me wonder, when you think about all your live shows, all

the times that you've had to take dates, and a show where everything that could

go wrong did, is there one that immediately comes to mind?

I mean, that's all of them. It's always so chaotic backstage.

I mean, dancer done lost a bra. This person can't find a pinky toe. It's just

always so much going on. So what I try and do is be like, okay.

Like, if it didn't go as planned, it still worked out. Like, one time my wig

slipped back or whatever, and I wound up pulling it off and like.

You know, swinging in a circle and the crowd went crazy. So it's just like,

yeah, I didn't go. It wasn't, it didn't go as planned. I didn't plan for my wig

to fly off, but I made it a moment and it became even bigger. I can think quick

on my feet and, you know. You embrace the chaos.

Absolutely. I'm like organized chaos.

And you're embracing it so far in this show. Three wings down, doing great. Are

you ready to move on here to wing number four?

This one with the lizard?

This is the one with the lizard. So we call this one a smoked habanero and

peach. It's about to be some hot shit happening. I can tell by the lizard.

All right.

You know.

I would be greedy. I'd take as big as that.

It's real good.

What stands out as the most heated dance battle that you've ever participated in

firsthand? Like, how closely does art imitate life when you're in a movie like

Stomp the Yard?

I think my most intense battle was in, like, third grade.

And you still remember it. It was in, like, oh, I never forgot that day.

It was recess, too. We didn't have no music.

You know what I'm saying? And I remember we got it popping. They had to, like, I

don't even know what was playing.

Two entered.

Only one left. You feel me? Yeah, yeah. We're on theme today. It felt like

today.

You know what I'm saying? It felt like today.

Oh, it smells good, too. It got curry in it.

I feel like I'm getting greedy about a wing, and I don't like that because

that's not smart.

You know what I'm saying? Like you're violating your rule about being

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

I love anything with curry in it. This has got to have some type of curry in

Yeah, it has that powder to it that you're catching. Yeah.

What's the most essential ingredient for a proper summertime Harlem block party

in your experience?

Good music. You know what's crazy? I never understood the importance of like

when I was younger.

Like he talks too much. Play the song.

But I realized that you have some DJs that do talk over the whole song and

horrible. But then you have DJs that know.

that have a spiritual connection to the vibe. You feel me? They know, and you

got a $100 bill, put your hand, what, what, you know what I'm saying? It just,

they blend with the music, you know what I'm saying?

And I love a call and response.

I just love when people know what they're doing. So to have a good party

you got to be a good DJ.

Do you have a number one tip when it comes to mastering the jump roping art

Double Dutch?

You don't know how to double judge if you ain't holding the chest. You got to

like this.

Even if you don't need to, it's just something about this that's like, it's

luck. You know what I'm saying?

And you got to kind of like, you got to like fumble a little bit. Like you got

to jump in. You're like, oh, no, hold on. Wait. Slow down.

Speed up. Come on.

You get to jump.

You know what I'm saying?

It's the art. I know exactly what you're saying. You know what I'm saying?

It's the art.

And do you have a go -to order at Amy Ruth's on 116th Street?

Ooh, Amy Ruth's, yes. I love cornbread, and I love when they give me extra

butter. I don't want the butter melted, but I don't want the butter cold,

neither. It got to be just enough to, like, how you see it in the commercial

when you just smear it on, and then it starts to melt on there. Don't send me

melted butter.

Then I need it soft enough to melt on top.

So you got the cornbread.

Mm -hmm.

Then you got the fried chicken.

Crispy. You got collard greens, a little bit of hot sauce.

Just want that.

Mm -hmm.

Baked macaroni and cheese, maybe a little bit of yam.

There you have it.

Mm -hmm.

This smells like it's about to be some shit that's about to go there.

And this one to me is kind of sneaky, like kind of like one of

those false first impression sauces.

Groovy.

Still dancing on it.

Dancing, dancing, dancing.

You are dancing on it.

So you gave an interesting quote talking to press backstage at the Globes where

you said, honestly, if everything would have happened my way on my time, I don't

even know if I would be standing up here.

Do you think patience is underrated in Hollywood?

I just learned that there's always something bigger in store for you.

So even when you get that no, understanding that that no is also a

And I think that patience is a part of knowing what's for you and what's not,

you know, and when it's your time and when it's not.

But I also have a sports mentality.

You know, I'm going to wait my turn. I'm going to clap from the bench or on the

court, you know, whether I'm sixth man or defensive player in the corner or,

know, like it doesn't matter. I know how to wait and understand my position.

especially with a movie because now i'm looking at ptn i'm like listen you're

our quarterback you know i'm saying let him cook let him cook i show up in my

jersey and i'm i'm ready to have a good game and you know what sure hand so far

all right these wings have not been too hot to handle but if you're ready we can

move on to sauce number seven this one's called nirvana

Oh, I'm okay.

That's a Havana, right?

Okay.

Mm -hmm. Mm -hmm. You starting?

I'm okay. You okay? All right. Then we're okay.

Since we're a team. Mm -hmm.

Want to take a sip of water? Yeah, let's do that. Let's do that.

I've heard you say of your early life, I was always in go mode. I'm from Harlem.

I'm a hustler. I'm a grinder.

Looking back, what do you see as like your boldest shoot your shot moment?

Like, has there ever been a time where you've surprised yourself with your own

instinct to hustle?

Yeah, I didn't know how many things I was like collecting until now.

I'm like, you know, like even signing up for culinary school.

I got it.

I didn't really surprise myself.

Bitch.

You know what else surprised me? What else surprised you?

Going to Nirvana.

You know what? I noticed that this is the first one that you didn't smell

Because we was in like deep conversation.

Right. Lost in it.

Lost in it. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I took my eye off the ball. All right. I took my

eye off the ball. I can't trust you. I'm going to earn it back. I'm going to

earn it back along the way.

Maybe

I need

you to stop asking me questions right now.

Let's take a beat.

You ready? I'm ready.

Okay, man.

I have my tongue involved in this one.

Right.

I'm going to tell you, we got two more to go, bitch. We got two more to go,

bitch. That's the athlete mindset right there.

There's two more reps.

There's two more reps.

We're almost at the finish line.

We're almost at the finish line.

What makes R &B music the realest bitch in the world? Can you unpackage that

quote from Billboard in an interview from 2020?

I said that, right?

No stone is left unturned in R &B.

You know, you get to be your most vulnerable.

What you doing?

Just trying to survive, you know. Are you chewing ice?

Yeah, a little bit. Why didn't you tell me?

Oh, man, it's helpful over here.

Yeah.

You praying on my downfall? No, never.

No, I'm praying that we make it to the top of this mountain, all right? And

we get a beautiful view from the summit.

That's always my goal going through this. I never want to take anybody out.

I never pray on anyone's downfall. Never.

You should have asked me all the Q questions up top.

You know what I'm saying? You start asking the deep ones as we get deeper

these wings. It's insane.

It feels like I ain't got an answer. You see, I had all the answers in the world

earlier. I was in bars. Now it's just getting a little crazy.

All right, I'll try to come up with a cute one, all right?

For this next one. It's too late.

It's too late? I said the cute ones need to go up top.

What makes Pretty Woman the perfect film, in your opinion? Like, why does

film resonate so strongly with you? Oh, my God.

I love Pretty Woman.

That instantly just made the burn go away.

I'm trying, over here. Oh, my God. I'm trying to reciprocate. That was so cute.

You redeemed yourself.

Pretty Woman is just so special. One, I love rom -com, you know? And I love the

idea of fairy tales as well. And I just love love.

Julia Roberts is, like, my favorite person in the whole wide world.

It was just my favorite. I had the biggest crush on Richard Garrett.

Say Pretty Woman again.

Pretty Woman.

Yeah,

you know, it's just, it's so good. And it's one of my favorite films. And I

just, I love what it talks about. And I just love Julia. Like, she just, it's

bright. Everything she does, it always feels so bright. And I just love it.

I'm a rom -com girl.

All right, Tiana.

I'd be looking like a punk if I don't do that.

What a fucking run. What a fucking run.

How much you dipped in there?

No, dip it some more. Okay. Dip it some more. I got you.

Is that good enough? I want you to eat that part where you dipped it. Yeah,

yeah, yeah, of course.

And with that, the wings of death are behind us.

And as we've learned today, someone who wears many hats, a multi hyphenate,

including aspiring pastry chef. If you could put together the ultimate antidote

dessert to combat the wings of death, what would you whip up in the kitchen?

Like, can you describe it step by step?

I would.

I would have to bake a cake.

I have to bake a cake.

Strawberry.

Strawberry cake.

With a whole lot of icing.

and a big ass scoop of ice cream between that and pretty woman you know pretty

woman got me through one of these rounds yeah you know what i'm saying and now i

want some cake i actually want to go and dabble back into that what was that

curry one back into the tropical amarillo we don't have any cake but we

some ice cream tiana taylor here comes the bowl we've earned it and look at you

taking on the wings of death living to tell the tale, and now there's nothing

left to do but roll out the red carpet for you. This camera, this camera, or

this camera, let the people know what you have going on in your life.

My current status is that I am dying.

Only after that, from my casket, I will be releasing my Air Jordan 3s

March 7th.

And then when I rise from the dead, I want you to go and watch one battle

another. Or HBO Max, or I'll hunt you.

Um, and yeah, I'm dying.

See you.

Oh.

Want that after another shirt? Oh, thick.

Mm -hmm. I told you, I'll make merch. Thank you so much. I know you do merch.

Mm -hmm. I know you do merch.

I got some Tiana Taylor merch.

Yeah. I knew when you said it.

But yeah.

And they can't take that away from me. You will?

Yeah, I got you. You got to tell me you're five. Yeah.

You're the five.

And I got you. You know what I'm saying? Because we're a team. Because we're a

team.

I wouldn't go that far.

Okay. You're chomping on ice without me.

You still can't be trusted.

I don't even know what's going to happen when I get in the car back home.

A little bit of hot sauce.

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