Starring as the protagonist and mother noted for her determination and complicated moral compass is Teyana Taylor (Coming 2 America). Three actors star alongside Taylor as her son Terry at various ages. Aaron Kingsley Adetola, who plays Terry at age six, recently starred in Superblocked and Rise. Aven Courtney stars as Terry at age thirteen. Josiah Cross (King Richard) plays Terry at age seventeen. The director of A Thousand And One is AV Rockwell. This is Rockwell’s debut feature, but she is far from a novice. She has directed several short films like Feathers, The Gospel, and Open City: Kids. She made her television directorial debut in 2019 with Boomerang, the television sequel to the Eddie Murphy movie of the same name. Rockwell has also directed music videos for artists like Zara Larsson and Alicia Keys.