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Msprissy
Regular Poster
Username: Msprissy
Post Number: 41
Registered: 03-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, May 27, 2006 - 01:51 pm: | 
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Warning for tender ears, graphic language here.
Keith Boykin did this interview. Lee Daniels produced "Monster's Ball." He has Shadowboxer coming out in June.
http://www.keithboykin.com/
Shadowboxing with Lee Daniels
By Keith Boykin, in movies
Wednesday, March 29 2006, 12:03 AM
I seem to run into Lee Daniels at the most unexpected times and places. One day I ran into him as he was parking his car near my house. Another time I bumped into him on the corner and we ended up sharing a cab downtown. And then there was the time when I was strolling through the Atlantis Hotel in the Bahamas last December when Nathan and I looked outside the window and there was Lee.
He was in the Bahamas that week for the Bahamas International Film Festival, an event I had never heard of before that day. But we hung out, went to a couple of events together, and he invited us to a screening of his upcoming movie, Shadowboxer. We missed the screening because the cab driver took us to the wrong theater, so we had to go to a special press screening the following day. Lee had already produced Monster's Ball and The Woodsman by this time, so the media were all too eager to see what else he had in the works.
I've been a fan of Lee Daniels for quite some time now, so it's odd that I've never interviewed him. Then as I was browsing through a newspaper recently, I noticed an article about Lee and it reminded me to rectify that omission. So here now is my first interview with Lee Daniels.
KEITH BOYKIN INTERVIEWS LEE DANIELS
Keith Boykin: How are you doing?
Lee Daniels: I'm a little harried. I'm beginning this new film. But I'm good. I'm ready for SHADOWBOXER to be given birth to.
BOYKIN: What is SHADOWBOXER about?
DANIELS: SHADOWBOXER is about a mother (Helen Miren) and her stepson (Cuba Gooding Jr.) who are contract killers.. She's dying of cancer and something happens that changes the way they both view the world...It's graphic. It's sexual. It's raw. And it also has Macy Gray and Monique.
BOYKIN: After Monster's Ball, what made you decide to do this film?
DANIELS: After Monster's Ball, I did a movie called The Woodsman and I wanted to know how to best work with directors, so I decided I would direct this film so I would learn how to deal with my directors better.
BOYKIN: You decided to become a director to be a better producer?
DANIELS: Yes. My next film is with Mariah Carey. It's called Tennessee. I'm going to be working as a producer and then I'm going to direct a film with Lenny Kravitz. Directing SHADOWBOXER helped me to become a better producer.
BOYKIN: You've never directed before. How did you acquire the skills to become a director in the first place?
DANIELS: I've worked very closely with my directors in a creative way on my past two films and I've always been a hands-on producer.
BOYKIN: So you're not the kind of producer who would do the job and then stay away from the set.
DANIELS: No, I'm very much in control of all of my sets so this was just the next step. And it was very intimidating and frightening.
BOYKIN: Why?
DANIELS: I had never directed anything before. But I had to remember that with Monster's Ball I had never produced anything before and that was intimidating and frightening. I knew what I wanted and although I didn't go to school for directing, I've directed directors in the past.
BOYKIN: What makes SHADOWBOXER different from other films you've done?
DANIELS: It has a black gay voice, which is much needed, and the others have not.
BOYKIN: How does it have a black gay voice?
DANIELS: Because I'm a black gay director.
BOYKIN: But it's not a story about a black gay man.
DANIELS: But it has many elements that I think gay black men will completely understand and connect with. We get to see Steven Dorf's huge penis in a condom swinging.
BOYKIN: Are you saying that black gay men are only interested in sex and male body parts?
[Laughter]
DANIELS: No, of course not. That's one element we're interested in though, and that's what came to mind immediately. And most of the characters are identifiable to not just African American gay men but to gay men. If you enjoyed Valley of the Dolls, you'll enjoy this movie.
BOYKIN: And if you didn't enjoy Valley of the Dolls?
[Laughter]
DANIELS: Then if you enjoyed Scarface you'll enjoy this movie. It's Valley of the Dolls meets Scarface.
BOYKIN: Did you like Scarface?
DANIELS: Yes, I loved it. Did you like it?
BOYKIN: Yes I liked it a lot but I thought it was the most violent movie I've ever seen. And I've seen your movie but I don't think it's nearly as violent as Scarface.
DANIELS: The cut that you saw was toned down a bit. Instead of seeing three minutes of graphic sex, you see 40 seconds.
BOYKIN: Personally I have no problem with sex in films but I sometimes flinch when I see gratuitous violence on screen. Do you have any issues about sex or violence in film?
DANIELS: I don't like seeing women abused and if you recall in SHADOWBOXER the mother was beaten in the opening scene and the beating was shown in pitch black because I have an aversion to violence.
BOYKIN: Anything else you want to say about sex and violence on film?
DANIELS: You are one of them tricky, smart educated black men so I got to be careful with you because there's always a trick question with you, and I love you for it because you represent properly.
[Laughter]
BOYKIN: What was it like for you to work with Cuba Gooding Jr.?
DANIELS: I didn't really want to hire him at first. But I had to remember him in Boyz in the Hood, and he is like a Ferrari. He gave me exactly what I wanted. He's a director's actor. He had no problem with the nudity. He is finally sexy to me in Shadowboxer. I never found him sexy before. And he's a wonderful human being.
BOYKIN: Do you think other black actors would have been more conservative about the nudity and all?
DANIELS: Well no one is ever conservative on a Lee Daniels set.
BOYKIN: But Cuba Gooding Jr. is different.
DANIELS: He is an international star. He is unintimidating and non threatening to white Americans and to black folk that can be problematic because we gotta come in with a swagger...
BOYKIN: And he?s also been criticized for playing what some call ?coon roles.?
DANIELS: People forget that this is a business. He gets paid an enormous amount of money from the studios, and he has a family to support. And it's hard to turn down $5 to $6 million for 30 days of work. I think that SHADOWBOXER will hopefully counterbalance those studio films.
BOYKIN: Who do you love working with in Hollywood?
DANIELS: I love working with Mos Def because he's always a surprise and you never know what to expect. I adore Monique because she gives me her soul. In Shadowboxer, it's her first serious role, she plays a crackhead. I love working with Macy Gray because she reminds me of what I guess it would be like to work with Billie Holiday. She's pure genius. I'm very excited about working with Mariah Carey because she's an underestimated genius.
BOYKIN: Interesting. She?s definitely a musical powerhouse, but I don?t know if she?s known for her acting, especially after Glitter.
DANIELS: But people didn't see that [other] movie she did, WiseGirls, with Mira Sorvino. She was to die for. I saw that movie and she was brilliant. Everybody wants to point to the bad. We always look to the bad instead of looking to the good. An actor is as good as his or her director. And I think that people want to point fingers and hate. It's instinctive. It's nature. And that does not make for great film makers.
BOYKIN: You've mentioned Mariah Carey, Mos Def, Macy Gray. Those are all musicians who are transforming to acting. What do you think about that trend?
DANIELS: I think some of the most brilliant actors come from a place of comedy or music. They're all artists at the end of the day. And I find that when you're working with comedians or musicians they're more hungry for direction and more eager to jump through hoops. Hence often times brilliance comes.
BOYKIN: And what about the resentment expressed by some black actors against rappers taking all the "black roles" in Hollywood?
DANIELS: I hear it all the time and I think they're haters.
BOYKIN: Okay. You're a black gay filmmaker. Is there some sort of special consciousness that you bring to the table because of your identity?
DANIELS: As you know, as black men it's rough. As black gay men, it's even rougher, and that's the life that we lead. When you're out, it makes it harder for you, as often times people can't deal with your truth. So my struggle is a hard one. But I think it makes me a better man and I think it makes my product more honest.
BOYKIN: Anything else you want to add?
DANIELS: Yes, I've done all my films in Harlem. The embryo of each film was created in Harlem [the location of Lee Daniels Production Office].
BOYKIN: Well thanks very much for your time.
Lee Daniels's new film Shadowboxer will be released June 9 in theaters.
Minnie E Miller
Author/Publisher
www.millerscribs.com
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Abm
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Abm
Post Number: 4625
Registered: 04-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, May 27, 2006 - 02:01 pm: |
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Gee?
I wonder what happened AFTER this interview was over? |
Abm
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Abm
Post Number: 4626
Registered: 04-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, May 27, 2006 - 02:05 pm: |
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Daniels says: "People forget that this is a business. He gets paid an enormous amount of money from the studios, and he has a family to support. And it's hard to turn down $5 to $6 million for 30 days of work."
A LOT of coons throughout the generations have made SIMILAR rationalizations. |
Abm
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Abm
Post Number: 4627
Registered: 04-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, May 27, 2006 - 02:09 pm: |
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Daniels says: "Yes. My next film is with Mariah Carey."
Please. GOD. NO! |
Libralind2
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Libralind2
Post Number: 371
Registered: 09-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, May 31, 2006 - 06:20 pm: |
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Abm..?? I heard it from Mariah..with my own ears on The Today Show..yesterday. LOL Movie coming..YIKES LOL
LiLi |
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