

Exclusive: Teyana Taylor And Director A.V Rockwell Explore Black Motherhood In New Film, 'A Thousand And One'
“This was a match made in denim and door-knocker heaven!” Actress Teyana Taylor jokingly said after letting out a laugh. She was referring to her relationship with the main character Inez De La Paz, in the film A Thousand and One, approaching theaters nationwide this Friday.
Set against the backdrop of 90s - early 2000s Harlem at the inception of gentrification, A Thousand and One chronicles the life of a 20-something-year-old mother of color raising her son. The film captures the realness and relatability of motherhood, family, and marriage. The movie stars multi-talented actress/entertainer Teyana Taylor, William Cartlett, Aaron Kingsley, Josiah Cross, Aven Courtney, and Terri Abney. It was executive produced by Lena Waithe and was written and directed by A.V. Rockwell.
This film was written through the lens of the often complicated relationship between mothers and sons. However, it isn't your typical movie about urban Black motherhood. No one gets shot, has a drug addiction, and if you ask me, Inez De La Paz (Teyana Taylor’s character) is a ‘shero’; she saves the day, or at least Terry’s life (her son).
This multilayered film touches on the challenges faced while establishing a life following a prison sentence, the flawed NYC foster care system, motherhood, marriage, love, the relationship between a father and son, and Black NYC neighborhoods at the onset of gentrification.
"There's a lot of pain in it, and in order to express pain, there has to be a love that comes with it. So I felt like the movie was a love letter to Black women but a heartbreak letter to New York City…. We contributed so much to the city and made it the special place that it is," said Rockwell. I asked myself, 'How do I reconcile the fact that this place that I love and that is home to me never loved me?'
Teyana Taylor and Aaron Kingsley Adetola.
Photo courtesy of Focus Feature Films
Both Rockwell and Taylor are New York natives, Rockwell is from Queens, and Taylor is from Harlem. The pair agreed they directly related to the lead character, Inez. During our conversation, Taylor explained how we could all connect with Inez. "Inez is within us from being judged or considered difficult for your strength, for your voice, for your tone, no matter how right you are, you're wrong because you're too loud… When you minimize yourself, it's an issue. You're not enough, and when you maximize yourself, it's too much," she said.
According to Rockwell, Taylor auditioned for the role and earned it fair and square, "Nobody can take away from the fact that she earned this role in all the right ways. I think it's great to have that cherry on top. The fact that she's a Harlem girl and that this is a movie about protecting her neighborhood not only what it means to us New Yorkers but what it means to black identity and history in general," she said. "Not only are we honoring Harlem, [but] she is [also] a part of that history that we are trying to protect. I'm really proud of that as well. This person who is a part of this historic neighborhood gets to be the one leading the torch of this role."
We all know Taylor as the uber-talented singer, dancer, actress, fashionista, entrepreneur, artist, wife, and mother. She seems to do it all so effortlessly, but Taylor described the role as therapeutic. It allowed her to put down that superwoman persona while filming on set. "The easy part about this role was that I'm already a mom, so I'm naturally nurturing… In some ways, Inez became very therapeutic for me because it was the only time that I could actually be weak and turn off my strength, and cry and let out all of the things I was battling," the "Rose in Harlem" singer revealed.
Director A.V. Rockwell
Photo courtesy of Focus Feature Films
After watching Taylor master the leading role of this complicated story, it's not absurd to think she may be awarded extensively for her portrayal of Inez. Taylor told me she's ready for everything to come but isn't looking to get too comfortable while soaking up the likely inflow of accolades, "I'm ready. I think it's everything that I prayed for. I think this is God saying ok, here you go… I'm blessed, and I'm grateful, and I just want to continue to just keep working hard and not get too comfortable. Stay hungry, stay the hustler that I am…this is really only just the beginning."
It's not every day we get to see a film with a Black woman starring in a leading role. Furthermore, it's not common to see a Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize-winning movie directed by a Black woman. It's no secret that diversity in Hollywood is uncommon, and the aforementioned are all the more reasons we should visit theaters this Friday to see A Thousand and One.
Not only is this film amazing storytelling, but the production of this film helps to move the needle of diversifying Hollywood and creating spaces for Black women in the film industry forward.
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Feature image by Arturo Holmes/Getty Images for Focus Features
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Gabrielle Union Explains How Social Media Showed Hollywood The Value of Black Actresses
Actress and entrepreneur Gabrielle Union is bringing attention to the crucial role social media has played in shaping how Black actresses are perceived in the entertainment industry.
The 50-year-old, who began her career as a model before transitioning into acting, rose to fame between the late 1980s and 1990s by guest starring in several hit shows such as Saved by the Bell and Sister, Sister. Union's success would only skyrocket from there. Her breakout role, however, was in Bring It On, and from there, she starred in several other films and her own TV show, Being Mary Jane, and ultimately became a household name.
Since then, Union has cemented her status as a leading actress by taking on various roles in multiple genres, including drama, comedy, action, and romance. Union's most recent work is the romantic comedy The Perfect Find, set to premiere on Netflix this summer.
In a recent interview on Bloomberg's Idea Generation, Union opened up about the struggles she faced in her career before social media and how the platform has positively impacted her life, as well as other Black actresses in Hollywood.
Gabrielle On Her Career
Union told the outlet on May 8 that early on in her career, she wasn't particularly anybody's first pick when it came to job opportunities, but despite the minor setback when the star would find work, it would become a successful project.
The actress would further elaborate that as she participated in box office hits like Bring It On and Bad Boys II, she was informed that those films would open up more job opportunities, mainly because the characters she portrayed left a lasting impression on the audience.
"I think even now, from then to now, late '95 to 2023, I've never been anybody's first choice. Not Black folks, not white folks. But by hook or by crook, I get a job right, and that movie does really well. What they tell you is if you're part of the movie and your character pops, then that leads to the next thing," she said.
Later in the conversation, the Being Mary Jane star expressed that although the movies were successful and positively received by the general public, those in Hollywood didn't treat her fairly.
Union would claim that before the invention of social media, she couldn't differentiate if she was missing out on gigs, including the Bring It On and Bad Boys sequels, because of other people's decisions or if it was due to the public reaction.
"But I really realized that after Bad Boys II and Bring It On, how I am received by real-life people is not reflected on how I'm treated in Hollywood," she explained. "They're completely different. But before social media, I had no way of really knowing that or quantifying that. Because they tell you if you succeed, these are the roles that open up. So I'm succeeding, and the door is bolted shut."
Gabrielle On The Positive Impact Social Media Had
Union came to terms with what was going on in her career when she realized that those individuals who have been "jumping the line" make those in charge "very comfortable."
The Deliver Us From Eva star added that the rise of social media had given her and other actresses like Taraji P. Henson, Nia Long, Sanaa Lathan, and Tracee Ellis Ross the chance to see how well-loved and valued they are for their craft which has then inspired those in Hollywood to take notice.
"The people who are jumping the line seem to be folks that make white people in charge very comfortable. But what it did, the social media era, me, Taraji, Nia, Sanaa, [and] Tracee, it allowed our real-world popularity to be quantified to where it was undeniable," she stated.
To date, Union has a combined total of 25.7 million followers on both Instagram and Twitter. The star often uses her platforms to bounce ideas for a possible project, promote her work and share real-life experiences with her fans, which contributes to why she is likable by most people.
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Feature image by Taylor Hill/Getty Images