46 venicemag.com december2009/january 2OIO ee Danielsis a man of manytal- You'rewounded. So, I don't want to be ents.He directs.He produces.He hurt. I can't be hurt. I've put a shieldover pushesthe envelope,hard, and myself. I learnedthe hard way, lrom The often.And no matterhow uncom- Woodsman.llaughsl They kept talking fortableor beautifulor ugly,he about"Oscar buzz," and we didn'teven get alwaysstrives to tellthe truth. a nomination. Danielsis in a goodspace, and chomp- l'm not the kind of guy who buysinto ing on a pomegranate,when he calls in for hype,anyway. I don't like to be told what his interview.lt's the second Mondayof moviesI haveto see. Peopleare saying, Novemberand just a week prior,he was "You'vegot to go seePrecious," which is a front-and-centerat the star-studdedpre- good thing,but it's also scarybecause the miereof his latestgem, Preclous: Based on expectationsare really,really high. I would 'Push' the Novel by Sapphire.Then, of preferto havepeople discover me, but I course,came the newsthat the film,a Sun- don't thinkthat's possible now...so, what dancewinner and five-timeIndeoendent am I talkingabout? llaughsl SpiritAward nominee, broke per-theater, box officerecords during its first weekend When did you know that this book in limitedrelease. He's got everyreason to could havea life on screen? be on top of the world.Having delivered I knewthe minuteI readit. I knewthis four much-whispered-aboutcult favorites- was it. Peopleask me all the time and I includinghis directorialdebut, Shadowbox- don't havean answerbecause I justknew. er, The Woodsman,Iennessee, and Mon- We just showedthe movieto Barbara ster'sBall, the filmthat startedit all andjust and GeorgeBush last week and they just so happenedto be the Oscar-winningvehi- flippedfor it.She said, "This is my movie."I clefor HalleBerry-Daniels is finally getting lovedthat she would say somethinglike lovefrom the criticsand audiencesalike. lt that. seemsthat everybodyknows his nameand they'reall talking about this film. Wait,George Bush's morn said that? Set in 1980sHarlem, Precious follows Yes,baby! the uphillbattle of a lifeof an abused,illiter- ate teenagerwho suffersunspeakable That'sdeep. abusesat home.Though both of her par- I thinkit's beautiful. ents are at fault for behavingin despicable Lifeis weird,man. I just knewthat this ways, it's her mother,Mary, who seemsto film wouldbe. I neverlooked twice or turn moviegoers'stomachs the tightest, thoughttwice. lt wasn'tthat deep;it wasn't courtesyof Mo'Nique,who deliversa rivet- that hard to raisethe money.I had no ing,yet heartbreaking,performance. We'll expectationsfor the film,really. I thought, get to that partsoon enough. "l'm goingto do thismovie. lt's going to be ThoughPrecious' story is difficultto a little,tiny movie,and I know that some watch and sadly,not impossibleto fathom, Blackpeople will see it. lt will probablygo Danielsfound a way to shinea ray of hope to DVDand l'll be happywith that.And on the screen,despite the hellthat his pro- guesswhat? My momwill like it." tagonist - portrayed convincingly,vividly, So, all of this buzzand stuffis just icing by newcomer,-endures on the cakefor me. on a dailybasis. In the wordsof Sapphire, the New York-basedauthor/poet/teacher Many people revereyou as an inde- who pennedthe novelthat spawnedthe pendent filmmaker and for this film, film,Daniels "made a filmthat rockedyour Oprah Winfreyand signed on heartand soul. He wentto wherethe book as executive producers, after Sundance. went...andthen he wentsomewhere else." How did you feel about addingthose two Danielschatted with Veniceabout why forces to the project? You said that you he wanted to bring Preciousto the big didn't want peopleto feel like, ,,Ohmy screen,what he'sgot up his sleevenext, God, you have to see this movie?" and and why he absolutelyrefuses to get all that's exactly what happened. giddyabout Oscar buzz. I guessl'm contradictingmyself, huh? I'm busted!Of courseI would hate it if I Venice:Gongratulations on your very wereto everread that in print. flaughs] sery, first weekend.I'm sure you're quite I thinkthat peoplelove my movies,but happy. only 10 peoplesee them, regardlessof the :I am. I am. l'm reallyproud awards.And a lot of peoplesee them over- of it. seas.That's what cracksme up about [the notionofl Blackfilmmakers not making How are you managing the acclaim moneyoverseas. My movieshave made and, of course,all of the Oscar buzz? me a lot of money overseas.They do Well,the Oscarbuzz I don't reallythink incrediblywell. Shadowboxermade like about.The minuteyou embracelhe buzz two milliondollars in Spainalone. lt didn't and the hype,you leaveyourself open to evenmake 10 centshere in the States! be stabbed.What if it doesn'thappen? Uaughsl

december2OO9/january 2010 venicemag.com 47 Peopledon't see my movieshere and I Like,Gabby was on the flooronce...you becausel'm all aboutgiving it to you raw. feltthat thiswas just an imporlantfilm and I know when the tauntingboys push her on That's oart of what attractedme to the reallywanted people to understandwhat the floor?l'm laughingmy ass off and book.But then, as I was tellingthe story,I Preciouswas about.So, when Tylercalled Mo'Niqueis laughingand Sapphireis thoughtabout my kidsand I reallywanted me, I knew,for a fact, that my mom's laughingand people think we're all crazy. themto see it. They're13. I was like,"l've churchcrowd would come out. Tylerand got to havemy kidssee it, so whatdo we Oprahcalled, separately, and asked,"How But really,what is funny about that? do?" So, in come the fantasysequences canI helo?" Okay,l'll tell you! | walkedup to Gabby and beingable to breathethrough humor to seeif shewas okayand shewas shaking and not takingourselves so seriously.The I was familiar with your work with herarms. I thought,"Oh my God,she's cry- book is very serious,you know what I Mo'Nique trom , so I knew ing,"so I ask,"Gabby, are you okay?"She mean?lt's hardcore-serious.So, we just what to expect when I saw Precious. says,"Lee, l'm a fat girl on the fucking did a differentsoin. but it'sstill the book. How did you feel about people being so ground,what do youthink?" She got it.She surprisedthat she could "go there?" got it. She'sso lightyears ahead of herself I totally understand.I thought you did

I knew the minute I reqd it. I knew this wqs it. Peopleosk me qll the time ond I don't hove qn onswer becouseI iust knew.

That'sthe highestcompliment that you and us. She'sjust on anotherplane. She an excellentjob at portrayingthe abuse could pay me becausepeople thought, gets the twistedhumor of it all, in a very that Precious suffers and letting the "How and what did you [do to makeher go uniqueway, audience know what happened without there?1"and it's like, "Dude, look at my ear- going all the way into it. As a viewer,you lierwork with her and look how we'reon You mentionedSapphire, who makes get the point. thesame syllable." a cameo in the film. How did she feel Let me tell you, Mo'Niqueand I wereat Peoplewho were fuckingwith Shadow- when she saw this story on screen? the L.A.premiere and this guy was sitting boxer understood.A lot of oeooledidn't Shewept in my arms.To me,that's the acrossthe row from us and just when see that movie.The Eurooeansdid and a biggestcompliment of themall. Like, I didn't Mo'Nique'scharacter...well, I don't want to specialtype of a Blackperson did. A spe- careabout anything else, except serving her. tell the scenebecause l'll be givingaway cial type of a persondid. You look at She didn'twant anybodyto makethis some of the plot. Let'sjust say that when Mo'Niqueand you know what time it is. movie.She didn'twant the moviemade. somethingreally bad happens,the guy She didn't care.She's a scholar.She's a looksme right,smack in my eyesand says, Right!Can you talk a bit about why you poet.She's a diva, baby.She's Sapphire "You'rea sick fuck, Daniels!Then he chose Gaboureyto be Precious?What andshe's unimpressed with Hollywood.l'd stormedout. I staftedlaughing so loud and was your experienceworking with such a beenstalking het but once she saw Shad- of course,people [around us] are thinking new actor and making sure that she got owboxer,she understoodme and gaveme that l'm laughingabout the scenethat has to the placesthat she neededto get? theootion for the book. justplayed. [pauses]| trusted her.She's very smad. I was a nervouswreck showing her the The samething happened with this lady She gavea brilliantaudition and she was film.I was so nervouslike, "She's going to on the UpperWest Side, when we showed ableto makefun of herself. There's a hateit. She'sgoing to hateme. Whatdid I the film at LincolnCenter. I was in the humorthat's there with Gabbythat people do? Lee, what is wrong with you for even backgroundjust checking out the audience who areon the samepage with me under- takingthis assignment on?" becauseat that point, I was just watching stand.There were some reallygreat girls the audiencewatch the film.This lady start- that auditionedfor the role.They were fan- I loved the way the slices of Precious' ing screaming,like her hairwas on fire, tastic.They were the truth,too, you know? home life were juxtaposedwith the when that samescene played. She ran I alwaystry to find as much truth as I can images of her as a video girl. No matter downthe aisleand out of the theater. with all of my stuff. what happened in her life, she seemed I justget the biggestkick out of it. Therewere a bunchof girlswho gaveas to be able to tap into some semblanceof good as an auditionas Gabby,but Gabby hope. In the book, it was difficult to find Althoughthese are fictionalcharacters, jumpedout and startedtalking like this hope. How were you able to make that what do you think might have becomeof White girl from the Valleyand therewas a part of the film? Precious?And how about Mary? truth,and a humorthere, too. She found I did it throughhumor. That's the differ- ThisBlack lady said to me at one of our humor.She was acting, she wasn't this girl. ence betweenthe movieand the book. screenings,"l knowyou're fixing to havea Shewasn't this person. That'swhat I was a littlenervous about with parttwo." I thoughtshe was Tbkrngl flaughsl Out of the 400 girlsI interviewed,20 of Sapphire.The book has a certaintone. The It's like,"Oh yeah,we'll have"Precious: themreally were Precious-really Precious. book has a feelto it. The book is its own The Musical."She was like,"l'm serious, Someof themeven had H.l.V.So, I would thing,you know?The movieis the movie. becausethis girl...l need to knowwhat havebeen exploiting those girls. Some of It'sdifferent, but yet, it'sthe same. happenedto her."So, I was like,"Well, themcouldn't talk and I thoughtto myself, The book is graphic.lt's x-rated.lt's rn whatdo youthink?" "Thisis wrong."After Gabby came in, I your fuckingface. lt is so in-your-facethat In the book, we sort of know what's realizedthat I would be makinga mockery you'renauseous. I had to makethe film goingto happen,but in themovie, I leaveit of the fothergirls]. That's not cool. palatable-one,for a rating.I didn'twant it sort of ambiguous,like there is a ray of And not only that, Gabbygot it. Gabby to be in the x-ratedsection of the DVDs. hope for her.My daughterthinks that Pre- was funnyas shit,you know?[Between] me Trustme, I was temptedto do that book cious is goingto liveforever, with her kids. and Mo'Niqueand Sapphireand Gabby, ihe way [it was written],but that was God And that'sthe beautyof beinga 13-year- nobodyelse would laugh at thisshit but us. working. He saved me from myself old girl.That's the beautyof Precious,too,

48 venicemag.com december2OO9/january 2O1O becauseshe thinks she's going to livefor- ever.You don't look at deathwhen you are 16.or 13.even. I couldgive you my thoughts,but they wouldcome from a veryjaded perspective. But, I thinkI chooseto see it throughmy daughter'seyes.

Wow,okay, And what about your son? Theyboth agreed.That's what they think andthey think that, sincerely. Andas faras Maryis concerned,that's a reallygood question.I thinkthat Marywill be alone.She madeher bed and I feelso bad for her.

You're right. But also, you look at her like,"You are so finished." She'sso over,but there's something that's reallytragic about her. She didn't knowany better.

Then there's the fact that you look at how she treatedher own child and you have to wonder, "Well, what was your life like?" I know Marys,for sure.You do, too. I knowMarys who will kicktheir kids to the curbfor theirman. That's some deep shit.

Even though you're in this moment, can you look aheada bit and sharewhat we can expect, next, from the mind of Lee Daniels?What are you working on? Well,there are a coupleof things.l'm workingon a musical,I'm workingon a piececalled Se/rna about the march.lt's a reallyinteresting expose on Kingand John- son.I'm reallyexcited about that. l'm jugglinga coupleof things,you know?Whatever film lands first is where l'm goingto go. l'm workingon a fascinating seriesat HBOand I don't knowwhere it's goingto land.And then, there's my passion project,/ced. lt's a brilliantbook by Ray Snell,which is out-of-print.lt's a malever- sion of Precious,except that the guy is hookedon crack-cocaine.There's no hooe at the end of this one, though.lt's pretty sinister,but it'sfabulously written. You needto take yourtime with the book becauseit's that kind of a party.You will be on the edgeof yourseat. My Aunt Dot,who's in all of my films-she plays Tootsie,the grandmother,in Precious-is from the projects.She's seen it all. She's beenthere. Everything l've witnessed, she'switnessed to the 1Othdegree. She's just a wiseBlack woman who is as realas lemonade.She readlced and was freaked out!She said, "Honey, this scared the shit out of me!" llaughslAnd it takes a lot fto rattleherl. She's witnessed death, okay? She'sseen people shot. She was like,"l don'tknow about this one. This is a horror movie!"llaughsl I giggledbecause if I can freakher out, I can only imaginewhat the audiencewill feel. v

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