As a seasoned gamer, I can relate to Lee Daniels‘ experiences in some ways. Much like him, I too have dabbled in different genres and platforms, from indie games developed with “drug money” to triple-A titles that require answering to suits (or developers). Just like him, I’ve often wondered about the experiences of my friends who receive notes or feedback on their games.
Lee Daniels shares that being a co-creator for the successful Fox show, “Empire,” was undoubtedly his most challenging ordeal
In a recent conversation with The Film Stage, the filmmaker expressed his distaste for remaining in one creative sphere. Reflecting on his past work on Empire, he reminisced about being fascinated by having to “adapt to answering to lawyers,” as he was eager to understand what that professional experience entailed
He put it this way: “All my buddies, they receive marks and such,” he shared. “And I’m like, ‘What’s that like?!’ You understand what I mean? Because all of my movies have been independent productions. Everything I make is independent. In fact, my first movie was funded with drug money – ‘Monster’s Ball.’ It won the first Black woman an Oscar. Each one of my films has been self-funded, giving me the freedom to… express myself without interference.”
He further explained, “There are numerous filmmakers and authors whose work I admire who have to cater to others. That’s why I took on the project of ‘Empire‘ just to understand that process firsthand.” When queried about the reality of the situation, he confessed candidly, “It was terrible! Undoubtedly the most awful experience.”
Nevertheless, Daniels found a positive aspect in producing the series, expressing it as such: “Earning all that cash, cash, cash! It allowed me to send my children to college. And that alone made it all worthwhile.”
As a dedicated fan, I can’t help but share a fascinating revelation from an interview: “I confess, when creating ‘Empire’, I didn’t grasp what we were doing. Honestly, I didn’t. I was so engrossed in Cookie’s hat and the music hat that I was trying to get to, I didn’t realize that I was shaping, literally, our culture.”
Daniels asserted that “There wouldn’t have been a Black Panther, there wouldn’t have been an Insecure, and there wouldn’t have been a Black-ish” if Empire hadn’t existed. He emphasized this by stating, “All of these shows came about because I took a stand. I dared to ignore the criticisms they were giving me, choosing instead to follow my own path, because I don’t need your approval.”
Daniel recently mentioned “Empire” during a conversation about his upcoming movie, “The Deliverance,” with The Hollywood Reporter. He expressed that the Netflix horror film inspired him to get reconnected to a higher power
“He often finds himself anticipating trends when discussing his projects, stating that there’s usually an underlying motivation rooted in the zeitgeist. He recalls with Empire, it was a personal desire to challenge stereotypes about him being gay and empower Black men and women. Now, he points out, look at how far we’ve come.”
Creating Empire wasn’t the fulfilling journey Daniels had anticipated, but the show turned out to be a triumph for its director, raking in 8 Emmy nominations and becoming one of Fox’s highest-rated programs. Ultimately, Empire came to an end in 2020 after a six-season run
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2024-09-05 22:26