Lee Daniels revealed that his next film The United States vs. Billie Holiday was the first film he made while not under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
The 61-year-old director and producer opened up about creating for the cameras while he was totally sober in a comprehensive interview for The Hollywood Reporter that was published on Friday.
Daniels’ attempts to work without substances started more than a decade ago, in 2009, after he directed his Oscar-nominated film Precious: Based on Sapphire’s novel “Push”.
Taking it seriously: Lee Daniels, 61, revealed that his new film The United States vs. Billie Holiday was the first he drove while drug and alcohol free in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter published on Friday; seen in 2019 in NYC
He continued to drink, however, and it wasn’t until four years ago, in the middle of his hit Fox series, Empire, that he also stopped drinking.
“This is my first sober film,” said Daniels via Zoom.
“You can’t anesthetize,” he continues, referring to his sobriety. ‘A glass of vodka is a beautiful cover, a blanket, a fur coat on you to take away all the insecurities you have, to take away all the nervousness, the fear. Sober, you are naked and doing your job.
Daniels’ sobriety made him fear that he would not be up to the task when he made films again.
“I didn’t want to drive sober,” he continued. ‘I was scared. I didn’t know if I could drive without at least a little drink on me. ‘
Security: ‘A glass of vodka is a beautiful cover, a blanket, a fur coat to remove all the insecurities you have, to remove all nervousness, fear. Sober, you are naked and doing your job, ‘he said; from the United States x Billie Holiday
Fear: ‘I didn’t want to drive sober,’ he continued. ‘I was scared. I didn’t know if I could drive without at least a little drink on me ‘; Daniels with Andra Day on the set of The United States x Billie Holiday
The United States vs. Billie Holiday is not expected to be released on Hulu for another two weeks, but is already generating buzz at the Oscars for her star, Andra Day, who also received a Golden Globe nomination.
She plays the legendary singer of the title, whose courageous voice has become one of the most recognized in jazz.
Although she has made several classic recordings and worked with many jazz greats, she is best remembered for her anti-lynching ballad Strange Fruit.
Daniels’ own struggle with drugs may have helped inform his film about Holiday, who fought lifelong drug and alcohol use and died of liver cirrhosis in 1959, when he was just 44 years old.
“When you think about Billie Holiday, you think about this brilliant and tortured jazz singer who happened to be addicted to drugs,” said Daniels. “Before there was a civil rights movement, there was Billie Holiday and Strange Fruit. The government saw that song as a threat, and it was a target. ‘
Tragic tale: Daniels’ new film follows the struggles of Billie Holiday, the legendary jazz singer whose voice and life have been devastated by drugs and alcohol; from the United States x Billie Holiday
In addition to his latest film, Daniels has also produced a number of future projects.
He produced the film Concrete Cowboy by Idris Elba for Netflix, which will be released later this year, and his television company is producing several shows for Disney.
Among them is a miniseries about Sammy Davis Jr. scheduled for Hulu and a remake of The Spook Who Sat By The Door, which is about the first black spy to work for the CIA.
For ABC, Daniels is doing an adaptation of Waiting To Exhale, as well as a reboot of The Wonder Years with a black cast.
He is considering other remakes with Black casts for both The Exorcist and Terms of Endearment.
“I also really want to make a superhero movie,” said Daniels. ‘What is a Lee Daniels superhero movie? How is that? He looks like a real, well-founded superhero, be it three black girls, a gay boy, a fluid gender superhero. ‘
Controversy: Daniels said it was ‘time to move on’ from his hit series Empire. The show was involved in controversy after star Jussie Smollett allegedly feigned a hate crime attack against himself; Smollett (L) seen with Daniels in 2017 in NYC
As for the Empire series, Daniels confirmed that a spin-off series starring Taraji P. Henson would not be moved to the series, which was first reported in December by Variety.
“It’s time to move on,” he said. – We did it with the Empire. We achieved. We achieved. We achieved. Many things are happening because of the Empire.
“We forget that it changed the way the white world saw blacks,” he said. ‘People say they want the next Empire. Well, there will never be another empire.
The series went into turmoil at the end of its run when Jussie Smollett, who played Cookie Lyon’s (Henson) gay son and Lucious Lyon (Terrence Howard), was indicted for allegedly staging a fake attack on himself, which should have looked like a hate crime.
Difficult days: “It was very painful,” Daniels said of the controversy, without mentioning whether he is still talking to Smollett. ‘It is still a very painful situation to talk about now, because I love him. For me, it is not resolved ‘; still from the empire
Daniels immediately expressed his support for Smollett when the attack was first reported, but he had a more ambivalent opinion for New York Magazine in 2019 after police claimed the attack was staged.
‘I cannot judge you. That’s just for the fucking woman or man in that black robe and God, ‘he said.
In his most recent interview, the director declined to say whether he was still in contact with Smollett.
“It was very painful,” he said of the controversy. ‘It is still a very painful situation to talk about now, because I love him. For me, it is not resolved. ‘
Re-reviewed: Daniels is working on several TV shows, including a Black reboot of The Wonder Years and possible remakes of The Exorcist and Terms of Endearment with Black cast; seen in 2019 in NYC