Teyana Taylor celebrated the New York City premiere of her new film, “A Thousand and One,” with her two daughters last night. The multi-talented artist donned a coordinating denim look with her daughters on the black carpet.
Taylor recently opened up about her experience reading the script for the film and how it resonated with her. “When I’m into something and I can see it in my head, I read through it really quick,” she explained in an interview with ELLE.com. “That’s how I’m always able to gauge whether something is for me or not.”
In “A Thousand and One,” Taylor plays the leading role of Inez de la Paz, a young woman who has just been released from Rikers Island and returns home to Harlem to kidnap her son Terry from the foster care system. Taylor reveals that this role was particularly emotional for her because of her experience as a mother. “It was about a mother who was willing to sacrifice, willing to go against the whole city, and willing to go to war for her kid. It’s something that I do for mine and something I’ve seen my mom do for me,” she says.
Taylor reflected on her own experience with motherhood and how it influenced her decision to take on this role. “This whole thing is a love letter to them and to us. This is the part that I cry about because I knew this would be tough for me. I have to relive and revisit a lot of these feelings in interviews and press. It’s been mentally and emotionally challenging for me, and it’s been a rollercoaster,” she shared.
Despite her previous acting experience, Taylor reveals that this is her first serious leading role. “I was always either the hot girl or the ghetto girl,” she explains. “I was ready to be taken seriously.” With “A Thousand and One,” she is finally able to showcase her talents as an actress in a meaningful way.
In the end, Taylor hopes that her portrayal of Inez de la Paz will serve as a tribute to her own mother and all the single mothers who work tirelessly to provide for their children. “This is the side of motherhood that Terry doesn’t see. He thinks this sh#$ is a piece of cake and it’s not,” she says. “We don’t see the bigger part.”
