Holland Taylor's Star Has Never Been Brighter. She Talks About Her Acclaimed Career at 80

Holland Taylor was a ubiquitous presence in 2023. She had star turns in Showtime’s hit series Billions, Apple’s top series, The Morning Show, and one of the funniest comedies of the year, Quiz Lady. Each character was more different than the next, and each performance was scene-stealing.

“Lately, I've gotten the chance to play very different roles. And as an actor, that's what you want to do,” Taylor, 80, told The Advocate.

In Quiz Lady, a hit film on Hulu, the glamorous Taylor shed her beauty for a worn-down character, playing the nosy neighbor of stars Sandra Oh (who plays Jenny) and Awkwafina (who plays Anne). One review said that Taylor “leave{s} a lasting impression with her impeccable comedic gifts.”

“I play a cranky, old, very ordinary hardscrabble person in Quiz Lady, which was lots of fun,” the LGBTQ+ legend and sapphic icon explained.

Taylor also said that she was thrilled to have a part in the final season of Showtime’s long-time hit Billions. “I played this exquisite, brilliant psychiatrist. It was a really wonderful role. I would love another role like that. Plus, I got to work with the wonderful cast and crew of that show. And working with Maggie Siff was terrific. She is such an extraordinary actress.”

Like most roles she's done, Taylor shined in a recurring role on Apple TV’s top-rated program, The Morning Show with her nail-biting performance as UBA CEO Cybil Richards, who Taylor described as "very corporate, kind of insensitive, with very narrow views."

Cybil’s character was caught referring to one of her Black morning show anchors, Christina (played by Nicole Beharie), as the racial epithet “Aunt Jemima” in an unearthed email exchange. In an on-air interview, Christina dramatically confronts Cybil.

If you haven’t seen the episode, make it a point, since this scene is riveting television.

“Cybil gets the shock of life, and has a moment of clarity during that interview, where she sees how inattentive she's been to the world and society. The script was brilliantly written, and it has been just thrilling to play that part. The show has been renewed for a fourth season, so I hope to be able to continue the role,” Taylor said.

Related: Why Holland Taylor Doesn't 'Have Any Impulse' to Define Herself

Taylor said that, with this previous year aside, the moment she felt most happy in her career was on stage as former Texas Governor Ann Richards in a play aptly titled, Ann.

“I spent years researching and writing it, and performing it all over the United States, including Broadway," Taylor said. "It became such a big, unexpected thing in my life, and it remains the biggest accomplishment of my life. It was a remarkable experience. And it was a real honor to have that sort of visit me later in life when I was in my 60s and 70s.”

Speaking of late in life, I brought up the fact that besides herself, Billie Jean King, Mick Jagger, and Barry Manilow, among others, turned 80 this year. Did Taylor believe that life can begin, or at least continue successfully, for people entering their 80s?

“Absolutely. I mean, so many people are very, very busy, and still working. I just saw an article about Ridley Scott, who is 86 and whose new movie about Napoleon is just hitting theaters now. Same with Martin Scorsese who is in his late 80s and Clint Eastwood, who is in his 90s. They are both still directing," the lauded actor pointed out. “I always say that as a director, you must wear a couple of different pairs of shoes during the day, because you're on your feet and constantly moving. Even us actors put in long hours on the sets while we're shooting.”

And for what's next? Well, Taylor is long from being done with her career.

“I do believe that those of us over 80 continue to prove that we not only can do our jobs, but we’re good at them too!”