“I was instantly just in connection with her.

There was a connection there, there was an energy there,” Taylor tells EW of Inez.

“I’ve met her before and I’ve seen her before.

Teyana Taylor stars as ““Inez de la Paz”” in writer/director A.V. Rockwell’s A THOUSAND AND ONE, released by Focus Features. Courtesy of Aaron Ricketts/Focus Features

Teyana Taylor in ‘A Thousand and One’.Aaron Ricketts/Focus Features

I’ve met her through my mom, I’ve met her through my aunts.

I’ve met her through a lot of the other women in my life.

Including just seeing some of her in myself.

A THOUSAND AND ONE writer/director A.V. Rockwell. Courtesy of Maya Iman

‘A Thousand and One’ writer/director A.V. Rockwell.Maya Iman

She adds, “I almost feel like this s— was written for me.”

The movie is A.V.

Rockwell’s feature directorial debut, from a script she started writing in 2018.

2023 Sundance Studio

‘A Thousand and One” star Teyana Taylor, writer/director A.V. Rockwell, and star Will Catlett at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival.Chelsea Lauren/Shutterstock

It took her about two years to finish it and another three years later it’s now in theaters.

“The idea that losing that piece of Black identity and heritage to gentrification just seemed devastating.”

“So I wasn’t going to go in and do anything less than be great.

(L to R) Teyana Taylor stars as ““Inez de la Paz”” and Aaron Kingsley Adetola stars as six year old “Terry” in writer/director A.V. Rockwell’s feature directorial debut A THOUSAND AND ONE, released by Focus Features. Credit: Courtesy of Focus Features

Teyana Taylor and Aaron Kingsley Adetola in ‘A Thousand and One’.Focus Features

Taylor continues, “So I went in it with that mentality.

I went into it to win the Super Bowl.

You know what I’m saying?

(L to R) Aaron Kingsley Adetola stars as six year old “Terry” and Will Catlett stars as “Lucky” in writer/director A.V. Rockwell’s A THOUSAND AND ONE, released by Focus Features. Courtesy of Aaron Ricketts/Focus Features

Aaron Kingsley Adetola and Will Catlett in ‘A Thousand and One’.Aaron Ricketts/Focus Features

I went into it to be my quarterback’s wide receiver.

Versus somebody who doesn’t relate, because this is not every Black woman’s experience.

And so she wouldn’t come off performative, as if she was looking down at this person.

And that was really important.”

Who’s there to hold her down?

Will Catlett plays Lucky, Inez’s on-again, off-again lover and eventual husband.

WhileA Thousand and Onerests squarely on Taylor’s shoulders, Catlett provides an intriguing counterbalance.

He initially resists becoming a father figure to Terry but forges a beautiful bond with the young boy.

“I wanted to celebrate them and honor them.

So I felt like this movie was my love letter to them.”

And yet, it’s not a wholly uplifting picture, either.

And I felt that in Teyana.”

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