Director Lee Daniels Made Monster’s Ball With ‘Drug Money’

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Director Lee Daniels Made Monster's Ball With 'Drug Money'

As a cinephile who’s had the privilege of witnessing the evolution of some truly captivating stories on the silver screen, I can’t help but feel a profound admiration for Lee Daniels, a filmmaker whose journey is as gripping as the narratives he weaves.

Lee Daniels’ chilling movie “The Deliverance” has been the top pick on Netflix since its release on August 30. However, long before he persuaded Glenn Close to play a white woman raised in the African American community, Daniels made his feature film debut with the 2001 Oscar-winning film “Monster’s Ball,” which he admitted was financed using drug money. Daniels single-handedly produced this movie through his freshly established company, Lee Daniels Entertainment, making him the first black producer in history to produce an Academy Award-winner entirely on their own

In an interview with The Film Stage, Daniels discussed “Monster’s Ball” and how most of his films have been self-financed through his own production company. His debut movie, the 2001 hit which was made on a budget of only $4 million, eventually earned $45 million at the box office. So, you might wonder: How did he gather the funds for his first film? Daniels clarified:

“In every film I’ve made, I’ve been the independent producer. You might not know this, but even my very first movie was funded through illicit means – drug money. For instance, ‘Monster’s Ball,’ which earned Halle Berry her first Oscar, was also independently produced in the same way.”

The Path to Monster’s Ball

Written by Milo Addica and Will Rokos, Daniels stumbled upon “Monster’s Ball” not long after he embarked on a mission to create new opportunities for Black actors who had been confined to stereotypical roles. Having worked as a talent manager, he was all too familiar with the limited roles available to Black performers. Consequently, he chose to shut down his agency and strive for positive change instead. In an interview with Ari Melber of MSNBC in 2019, Daniels discussed his choice to establish his own production company:

“Initially, being a manager, I struggled to secure roles for the African-American actors I represented. Shockingly, in my lifetime, the only options that seemed accessible for us were portraying pimps, prostitutes, or drug addicts. Unable to find suitable employment, I decided to take matters into my own hands and create opportunities instead.”

Despite Halle Berry’s groundbreaking Best Actress victory for Monster’s Ball and the widespread praise the movie received, Daniels expressed that as a Black filmmaker, he continued to experience being typecast by Hollywood, particularly Lionsgate, the studio behind the film, who were unsure about how to proceed with him next

“Despite the groundbreaking success of Halle Berry’s historic win with Lionsgate, one might expect them to protect such a valuable asset. However, instead of grand projects, offers for Who’s My Baby’s Mama Part 2 and Leprechaun 7 arrived, even though I wasn’t aware there were previous installments. They found it puzzling that I managed to produce Monster’s Ball, a film that was well-received critically, and they were left astounded by my persistence in telling an important interracial love story.”

Drugs Caused Daniels to Miss Halle Berry’s Oscar Win

Although drugs may have funded the production of ‘Monster’s Ball’, they also prevented Billy Bob Thornton (Daniels) from attending Halle Berry’s award win in person at the ceremony in 2002. Being open about his battles with addiction, Daniels, a native of West Philadelphia, confessed that he missed Berry’s heartfelt and emotional speech on that night because he was holed up in a hotel room with a crack pipe instead

“I found myself intoxicated in a hotel, with no real hope of winning. Despite being invited, I felt undeserving of my presence there. After all, when Tinseltown tells you that you’re not worthy, it’s hard not to believe them. At that point in time, I was using drugs… So, feeling unworthy, I chose not to attend the gathering.”

It makes me feel like I was just naive and stupid for not going.

It’s great to see that Daniels was able to change his path and achieve even greater success. He directed the critically praised Oscar-winning film “Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire” in 2009, and the Oscar-nominated movie “The United States vs. Billie Holiday” in 2019. Notably, he was also the mastermind behind the popular Fox series “Empire,” which he described as his “absolutely worst experience.”

You can check out Daniels’ latest film,
The Deliverance
, now streaming on Netflix.

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2024-09-05 23:18