Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F's new blood breaks down her Hollywood past and future.
“The world often feels like it’s in a chronic coma,” Taylour Paige tells Empire. “And without being too grandiose, I want to be a part of something which helps people to snap out of it.” As far as acting-career mission statements go, this is surely as novel as it is ambitious. But in the months to come, Paige may well live up to it, whether she’s going toe-to-toe with a comedy legend or playing a highly unconventional corruption-avenging hero.
First we’ll be seeing Paige as Eddie Murphy’s estranged daughter in Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F. Working alongside the legendary comedian left her totally starstruck, she says. “I grew up watching The Nutty Professor and Dr. Dolittle. It was like I knew him — it was surreal.” But that didn’t stop her from achieving another bold ambition on set. “The objective was to try and get the man who made the world laugh to laugh,” she says. And she succeeded. “I found it quite fun to crack him.”
“Whether it’s a $1 million film or a $20 million film, my work is the same: finding integrity in it.”
Paige cracked Hollywood itself in 2020 with Viola Davis-fronted biopic Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom and viral-tweet-inspired road-trip flick Zola, in which she played the pole-dancing lead. “Those films changed my life,” she reflects. “Being surrounded by such incredible artists and people who think in absurd ways like me, and feeling both seen and understood, was significant in my expansion.” She started out as a dancer, enrolled in classes by her mother from a young age. But acting “just made sense” to her in a way that dance didn’t. “With acting, you’re being sensitive and feeling so much and having intuition. I’ve always romanticised life, and it’s unfolded into something quite glorious.”
Still, it wasn’t the most straightforward journey. Paige worked odd jobs (even at a weed dispensary) between gigs, refusing to take on any role which didn’t connect with her. “There’s nothing worse than betraying oneself. I’m trying to strengthen my discernment,” she states. Not that that stopped her from stepping up to the next level with a bigger movie like Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F. It’s all about “balancing the art and the commerce,” she explains. “Whether it’s a $1 million film or a $20 million film, my work is the same: finding integrity in it.”
Besides, she’s hardly going ‘commercial’ with the Macon Blair-directed reboot of Troma cult hit The Toxic Avenger, in which she plays an unlikely sidekick to Peter Dinklage. “The film is very crass and irreverent,” she promises. “It’s gory, and funny, and I really can’t wait until the world gets to see it.” Then there’s an enigmatic new role in upcoming TV show Welcome To Derry, overseen by It director Andy Muschietti and designed as a ’60s-set Pennywise prequel.
Whatever the project, Paige’s focus is clear. “I want to put beautiful things into the world, to stir something up,” she says. “I’d like to be a part of the awakeners. We’re only here for a blip. Help your brother, help your sister, and do the thing — whatever that thing is — well. Do it right and do it purely. And if it’s not right, hurry up and get off that path.” As for Paige herself, she knows precisely what path to follow.
The Book: The Cosmological Eye – Henry Miller
"The book comes with me everywhere, but funnily enough I just started reading it again. I can't put it down. I can't believe this man could put pen to paper and make these observations."
The Album: Various Classical Albums
"This sounds eye-roll but [I listen to] a lot of classical music. It makes me happy. A lot of classical music. It makes me happy. A lot of Erik Satie and Samuel Barber."
The Show: Baby Reindeer
"[I'm about to watch] Baby Reindeer. My husband just started it. He's back in Boston right now, he's not with me. But he said; 'Maaan, Baby Reindeer,' on the phone, and I know when he says 'maaaan', it's serious.
Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F is on Netflix from 3 July.
This article first appeared in the July 2024 issue of Empire. Photography by Sam McGuire, shot exclusively for Empire in Los Angeles.