It’s ‘Moving’ to See Teyana Taylor Grow as an Actress (Exclusive)

Tyler Perry is proud of how far Teyana Taylor has come in her movie career.

The writer and director — who is debuting his new film Straw on Netflix, in which Taylor stars — reflected on the “Long Time” musician’s acting journey after her breakout role in his 2011 film Madea’s Big Happy Family.

“I gave Teyana her first movie where she was saying ‘Byron,’ ” Perry, 55, told PEOPLE at a New York City special screening of Straw on Tuesday, June 3, referring to her iconic line in the film. 

“So to see her, where she’s come [and] all the levels she’s hit, it’s been really moving,” he adds.

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When asked if he offered Taylor, 34, any direction on their latest film together, the Acrimony director says he gave bits of advice here and there — but she was able to pick up things on her own, as she’s a natural.

“Being on the set, maybe there are some things that moved her, but Teyana’s her own very special talent,” Perry says. “She’s very brilliant. She’s gonna figure it out for herself, and she delivered on this thing, for sure.”

In Straw, Taylor plays Detective Kay Raymond, an officer who connects with the single-mother main character Janiyah (played by Taraji P. Henson) whose “world unravels in chaos as her day goes from bad to worse to catastrophic as she struggles to care for her ill daughter,” per a synopsis.

Perry shared that he always envisioned Taylor and Sherri Shepherd — who plays a bank manager named Nicole in the film — as the actresses to round out the cast of the Henson-led film, and was even more excited when the pair said yes.

“Because it’s this diamond, where Taraji sits at the top, and you’ve got these pillars holding her up,” he explains. “It’s really fantastic. So for [Teyana and Sherri] to say yes is really incredible.”

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And Perry wasn’t the only one who was jumping at the chance to work with the Coming 2 America actress, as Henson, 54, tells PEOPLE she loved getting to work with Taylor — and wants to again.

“Teyana and I need a do-over because we had no scenes together [in Straw] except the very end,” she says, adding jokingly, “So Teyana, girl, us again on the scene, on the same screen, right?”

Both written and directed by Perry, the movie costars Glynn Turman, Sinbad and Rockmond Dunbar.

Straw is now streaming on Netflix.