Lena Waithe (‘A Thousand And One’ producer): ‘It’s a love letter to the city, both enchanting and heartbreaking’ [Exclusive Video Interview]

David Buchanan
·4 min read
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This interview contains spoilers about the end of “A Thousand And One.”

“It was a beautiful moment,” reflects Lena Waithe on the 33rd annual Gotham Awards, where the producer of the film “A Thousand And One” celebrated three nominations and a victory for A.V. Rockwell for Breakthrough Director. As she explains, “We’ve been rocking with A.V. for a while… A.V. has passion and something to say.” Rishi Rajani, the CEO of Waithe’s production company Hillman Grad, had pitched her on the idea that she “should be working with directors like A.V.,” and, indeed, she signed on to producer the writer-director’s first feature film before she had even seen a script. Watch our exclusive video interview above.

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“A Thousand And One” follows the mother-son relationship of Inez (Teyana Taylor) and Terry (played by three actors over the course of the film — Aaron Kingsley Adetola, Aven Courtney and Josiah Cross) as they lean on each other after Inez is released from Rikers Island and kidnaps six-year-old Terry from the foster care system. Waithe describes the film, which over the course of 11 years depicts the gentrification of New York City, as “a love letter to the city, both enchanting and heartbreaking,” as it showcases “the heartbreak when the city changes… and when the city tries to tear communities apart.”

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Rockwell’s writing appeals to Waithe, who is an Emmy-winning writer for “Master of None,” because she is a “throwback to the 90s.” “She reminds me of those movies we got in the 90s when, particularly, Black cinema was finding its voice in that its was gritty, it was raw, but also funny sometimes, in the midst of the pain and the strife,” elaborates the producer, who adds that the screenwriter’s craft of characters also spoke to her because she finds creating characters is “one of [her] favorite things to do.”

Inez is one such powerful character, as she navigates challenging circumstances in order to offer a better future for her son. Waithe admires the character: “I like her grit and I like her willingness to get angry. I think a lot of times on screen, there’s this trope of the angry Black woman, as if, why shouldn’t we be angry? We have a lot of things to be angry about… I like that she’s not afraid to show her frustration.” She also appreciates how Inez treats Terry as an equal from his young age of six because “young Black boys have to step into shoes they are not ready to fit into yet.”

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Waithe knew Taylor would be perfect for the role of Inez because there is “something in Teyana’s voice that was so palpable.” She sees similarities between the actor and character because “Teyana doesn’t hide, she’s not afraid, and she’s fearless, and she jumps in. She’s a strong, strong woman and she’s from Harlem.” Pairing the actress with the three young performers who would play her son Terry at three different ages proved challenging. While “casting took a very long time,” the producer shares, “We were just really blessed… I love all three of those performances.”

The end of “A Thousand And One” features a truly surprising development that may change the way audiences see Inez and Terry. Reflecting on the shocking turn, Waithe says, “What breaks me is that they are the humanization of gentrification, and that’s really what A.V. is doing.” Amidst the acclaim for Taylor’s performance and Rockwell’s direction, the producer hopes people will credit the screenplay, too. “I hope people don’t sleep on the screenplay,” she stresses, continuing, “Often times, women that look like A.V. and that look like me often aren’t a part of those Academy conversations because we don’t fit the mold, we don’t look the part.”

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