Lee Daniels
Lee Daniels
Lee Louis Daniels is an American film and television producer and director. He produced Monster's Ball and directed Precious, which received six Academy Award nominations, including Best Director; the film won two of the awards. In 2012, Daniels directed The Butler, a historical fiction drama featuring an ensemble cast portraying unique events on the 20th century presidents of the United States at the White House. Daniels is also a co-creator, executive producer and director of the television series Empire that...
ProfessionDirector
Date of Birth24 December 1959
CityPhiladelphia, PA
I felt hopeful for the future because Obama is here. But nothing has changed. It's time for young kids to get serious again and really think about what their four fathers were like. As African-Americans, we are resilient, we are some bad mf-ers, and we are survivors. So get those i-pods out of their ears and become heroes again like the Freedom Riders.
I don't want to sell my soul to Hollywood - to just make run-of-the-mill stuff.
I was always intrigued with European cinema, and hated most American cinema. I didn't like the one, two, three - boom! style, with a neat and tidy ending. That was never my scene.
Every African-American I know has two faces. There's the face that we have for ourselves and the face we put on for white America for the places we have to get to.
I never saw Glitter, but I liked her work in the other film. Because this character is interracial and struggles with all sorts of issues, I thought she was perfect.
I think people in the future will come up to me and say, "Everything that you are and everything that you have is because of that butler [film]." Of course, that's Oprah's line from the movie, but I think it will resonate with my legacy with the movie.
Because this character is interracial and struggles with all sorts of issues because of that, I thought she was perfect.
I never saw 'Glitter,' but I liked her work in the other film. Because this character is interracial and struggles with all sorts of issues because of that, I thought she was perfect.
I grew up hardcore. I learned to be more responsible - and fiscally responsible - you know, I just wanna be a kid again! Do a musical, have tons of time or something.
I'm not tough when it comes to people criticizing the people that I protect, and those are the actors. It makes them scared to do it again for another director.
I think that when you have audacity, you will get polarization.