One Battle After Another had created a lot of hype among fans as two critically acclaimed artists, actor Leonardo DiCaprio and director Paul Thomas Anderson, had collaborated to bring this political thriller to the audience. And the film did not disappoint. Released on September 26, 2025, the film has been receiving rave reviews, as expected. However, people are also curious to find out if this film, with its political undertones, is inspired by true events. Here’s everything to know about it.
Leonardo DiCaprio said that One Battle After Another is inspired by true stories
One Battle After Another is not a biopic, and it isn’t based on a specific real event or story. However, Leonardo DiCaprio mentioned to RadioTimes that the story draws inspiration from many true historical events. Leonardo shared that the group of revolutionaries, ‘French 75’ shown in the film, was inspired by a real group of the ’60s known as The Weatherman. He said:
“Anderson based this on a lot of the activities of The Weathermen, late 1960s revolutionaries that were fighting imperialism, the Vietnam War, civil rights. They were multicultural people that then had to sort of scatter like rats around the country and try to assimilate themselves and disappear into everyday society, but at a time and a place they were willing to risk their life for their ideology and belief system.”
Teyana Taylor’s ‘Perfidia Beverly Hills’ is inspired by the real-life activist Assata Shakur
Teyana Taylor, whose portrayal of ‘Perfidia’ has garnered immense praise, revealed in the same interview that she drew inspiration from Assata Shakur while channelling her on-screen character. For the unversed, Assata Shakur was a member of the Black Liberation Army. Teyana said about her inspiration:
“I kind of feel like it was a full circle moment. Because one of my favourite books is Assata, and when me and Paul were discussing Perfidia, that was one of the books that was also on his table. So I was just like, ‘Oh, this is really dope.’ And I know exactly where I want to go and what direction I want to go in for Perfidia.”
Teyana Taylor and Regina Hall, who plays the character of ‘Deandra’, discussed how the film’s storyline aligns with some of the current events and trends. However, they revealed that Anderson had started writing this movie twenty years ago. But the story is still as relevant and coincides with what’s happening today, said both actresses. Teyana Taylor shared:
“And it actually is very relevant to what’s happening today, and that’s something that they need to handle. You know what I’m saying? Why is this still relevant today… why are we still going through this? And where is the change? Especially considering the fact this script has been written 20 years ago. But I definitely think that this movie will create a lot of healthy dialogue and much needed conversations that need to be had.”
One Battle After Another is also loosely based on the book Vineland
Paul Anderson had considered adapting Thomas Pynchon’s novel, Vineland, for years. However, instead of a direct adaptation, the renowned director wrote various separate scripts. The script of One Battle After Another was created by combining these different stories. Especially the plot around the father-daughter dynamic is inspired by the book Vineland.
One Battle After Another is largely a fictional film, however its story rely heavily on true events and persons. What are your thoughts on this? Let us know.
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