Lee Daniels, known for his independent filmmaking, was presented with larger-scale opportunities due to his success, such as his 2015 Fox hit, Empire, featuring Taraji P. Henson and Terrence Howard. However, in a recent interview, Daniels recounts his unpleasant experience producing the series that began as a hit but saw a decline in popularity by the end of the second season, eventually concluding in 2020.
“Terrible. The absolute worst experience. Terrible!,” he expressed when discussing his time working on the musical dramedy in a conversation with The Film Stage. Despite this, there was a silver lining for the director.
“But you know what? That money, money, money! I managed to put my kids through college and stuff. So that alone made it worthwhile,” he admitted about the mixed experience.
EMPIRE: Cast Pictured L-R: (Bottom Row) Bryshere Gray as Hakeem Lyon, Jussie Smollett as Jamal Lyon, Trai Byers as Andre Lyon (Middle Row) Grace Gealey as Anika, Kaitlin Doubleday as Rhonda Lyon (Back Row) Gabourey Sidibe as Becky, Terrence Howard as Lucious Lyon, Taraji P. Henson as Cookie Lyon and Ta’Rhonda Jones as Porsha on EMPIRE Season 2. (Photo by FOX Image Collection via Getty Images)
Daniels talked about his subpar time at Fox after revealing that he had never faced executive pressure as an indie filmmaker before joining the studio. With his new Netflix film, The Deliverance, he demanded the same level of freedom, finding a middle ground with the popular streaming service and their requirements.
“I have the final cut at Netflix because otherwise, I wasn’t interested in making the film,” he disclosed. But they – referring to Netflix – wanted jump scares at every turn. And I didn’t know how to do that. And I said, ‘Listen, man, I can’t do this. I don’t know how… it doesn’t compute.’ My favorite films were The Exorcist, Rosemary’s Baby, and The Omen.”
The movie, which was released on Aug. 30, has already sparked conversations due to Glenn Close’s portrayal of a white woman who sews weaves and moves in with her biracial daughter and grandchildren. For Lee, the character symbolizes a part of the Black community, and he faced criticism for his statement that, “Every Black person knows an Alberta. She’s part of the fabric of our community, but we’ve never seen her on screen before.”
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – AUGUST 28: (L-R) Glenn Close, Mo’Nique, Lee Daniels, Andra Day, and Demi Singleton attend the Los Angeles Premiere of Netflix’s “The Deliverance” at Netflix Tudum Theater on August 28, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic)
“Black people are fascinated with white women who behave like stereotypical black women, but despise actual black women who act and sound like this. Lee Daniels is no exception,” one observer commented on his remarks on X, with another adding, “Honestly, we didn’t even need ‘an Alberta’ because Latoya was black. FULLY black. So to throw ‘fabric of our community’ on it is really asking to mess up the vibe…. haven’t seen a single white account discussing this movie, and here you are talking about some ‘fabric of the community.'” Check out additional reactions below.
63k likes.
Black people are obsessed with white women who act like stereotypical black women, but hate actual black women who act and sound like this.
Lee Daniels isn’t exempt… https://t.co/ZsGK3nULom
— Cierra (@CierraCierra25) September 2, 2024
Credit: www.vibe.com
