NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� Pulpits across America this Easter Sunday are sure to be filled with pastors preaching the longtime adage that 鈥淕od may not be there when you want Him, but He鈥檚 always on time.鈥� If they鈥檙e in need of a witness, Teyana Taylor would surely testify.
鈥淚 just have random, random times of the day that I just have to stop and give thanks and give praise because this is everything I prayed for. And I had really long conversations with God and Him making me understand that the wait was not punishment; it was preparation,鈥� explained the actor.
鈥淎 Thousand and One,鈥� the , is A.V. Rockwell鈥檚 debt feature film. , played by three actors at different ages, following her release from Rikers Island jail in 1994.
Inez takes her child from foster care without permission, and the movie tracks their ups, downs and hardships living in a tough and changing New York without much help, all while keep a low profile. But as Terry nears high school graduation, an explosive secret threatens to upend his entire world 鈥� and his relationship with his mom.
Known for her fashion, choreography and crafting R&B hits like and Taylor, a former , shockingly announced her retirement from music in 2021 after feeling unappreciated by the industry. With all the acclaim and attention, it might be unimaginable to think of anyone else in the lead role, but she was far from a shoo-in, with only small roles or guest TV and film credits.
鈥淚f you see something of me, and I鈥檓 in a dance movie or I鈥檓 in a singing movie, it鈥檚 like, 鈥極K, well, we know that. But can she deliver? Can she really deliver a character like Inez, someone so near and dear to (Rockwell鈥檚) heart?' So, it鈥檚 like she gave me the chance,鈥� said Taylor.
A New York native from Jamaica, Queens, Rockwell grew up loving films by fellow New Yorkers Spike Lee and Martin Scorsese. After studying filmmaking at NYU Tisch School of the Arts, she cut her teeth on short films.
鈥淲hat got me up every day that I worked on this movie for the years that I did is how I wanted to reach people, heal people, connect people to each other. So, this signifies all of that and I鈥檓 very, very thankful for it,鈥� said Rockwell, who also wrote the film.
鈥淎 Thousand and One鈥� is far from a feel-good, happy ending story. Early on, Inez struggles to take care of Terry鈥� as well as herself 鈥� a daily battle of barely making ends meet. It鈥檚 a reality Black women face each day: being treated as if they are invisible and left to figure it all out without assistance. 鈥淧rotect Black women鈥� wasn鈥檛 the rallying cry it is today when Rockwell wrote the film, but she shared the same sentiment.
鈥淲e spend so much of our lives fighting and protecting for everyone, but who鈥檚 fighting for us?" said Rockwell. "Who鈥檚 there for us in the ways that we want to feel unconditionally loved and supported and uplifted? And I think that we may have superhero-like qualities, but we鈥檙e still human beings. And I think that I wanted to use Inez鈥檚 journey to speak to that.鈥�
Perhaps the most dynamic character in the film is the city itself. At times, the line between documentary and feature film seems blurred. As the movie travels through the mid-'90s into the early 2000s, Rockwell chronicles a rapidly changing New York during the Rudy Giuliani and Mike Bloomberg mayorships, accented by interspersing real audio clips and speeches. The film highlights how Black and brown citizens bore the brunt of the transition, including the controversial 鈥渟top and frisk鈥� law, police brutality and gentrification.
The changing of neighborhoods is a microcosm of what鈥檚 happened around the country in recent years to longtime Black areas in major cities like Houston, post-Karina New Orleans, Brooklyn and Detroit. The film鈥檚 title is based on the Harlem apartment number where much of Inez and Terry鈥檚 life takes place.
鈥淚t was important to celebrate what makes Harlem unique, in addition to just celebrating what makes New York unique because I think that so much of this movie is about protecting that as well 鈥� protecting what is sacred. And I think Harlem is a neighborhood that means something, not only to New Yorkers, but to Black identity and heritage in general,鈥� said Rockwell.
Taylor is currently in the early stages of prepping to star in Dionne Warwick鈥檚 biopic, handpicked by the legendary songstress herself. She also says making music again isn鈥檛 out of the question, stating it鈥檚 still her first love.
But she refuses to be boxed-in, likening her creativity to a Glade Plugin 鈥� you can plug her into any room and it will fill with air 鈥� acting is her current focus. She hopes the message of the film highlights Black women and children, among the world鈥檚 most invisible and forgotten, saying she can relate.
鈥淎t the end of it all, we鈥檙e Black women and we鈥檙e fighting to be heard and fighting to be seen, invited to be appreciated," said Taylor. "I鈥檝e had a lot of the same fights that Inez had: feeling invisible, feeling unappreciated, feeling unheard, feeling unseen.鈥�
She adds: "I was able to channel all of that emotion and all of that hurt and all that pain into this woman. So, not only did she give me all of her, I gave her all of me.鈥�
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Follow Associated Press entertainment journalist Gary Gerard Hamilton at: @GaryGHamilton on all his social media platforms.
Gary Gerard Hamilton, The Associated Press
