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An Evening with Lee Daniels

Amy Tseng |
November 22, 2013 | 8:55 p.m. PST

Staff Contributor

He's worked with Oprah Winfrey, Halle Berry, Nicole Kidman, Billy Bob Thorton, and the list goes on. “I did movies that everybody said could not be done. I was rejected so many times that the answer “no” became a safe place for me. However, it was because of all those rejects that I have made the impossible possible.” These were the words of Academy Award nominee, Director Lee Daniels, who paid a visit to USC at the Tutor Campus Center last week. 

Lee Daniels / Amy Tseng
Lee Daniels / Amy Tseng

SEE ALSO: Film Review: 'The Butler'

Dressed in a light blue button down with a charcoal sweater overtop, Daniels entered the stage with a great presence and wide grin. Numerous rounds of warm applause welcomed him to the ballroom. After a single spotlight was shone on him, he began his story.

Daniels grew up in Philadelphia, in a house of six children living in one bedroom. Money was a struggle, as were his race and his sexuality. As an African American gay man, Daniels wanted more than simply dreaming about his dream; he wanted to live it. Thus, he moved to Los Angeles. In LA, Daniels started working as a nurse taking care of babies. As time passed, he became manager and eventually opened his own nursing company. The business was a success. It started off with five nurses to five hundred within a year. He instantly became a millionaire and he was only 21 years old. Fast-forward in time, Daniels became involved with the film industry, learned how to direct and then became a director and producer. His second movie "Monsters Ball"was a box office success and lead actress Halle Berry won her first Academy Award as Best Actress for her performance.

Daniels spoke openly about experiencing racial discrimination as a child. He was physically abused for being African-American and gay. Using the vivid memories he had, Daniels decided to portray them into a storyline. "Precious" portrays an obese and illiterate young African-American girl with big dreams, while trying to deal with her abusive parents and two children.

Using his wit and humor to captivate the audience, Daniels drew laughter, standing ovations, and gasps from the crowd. Of course, there were also emotional moments when he recounted the intense feelings of reminiscence he had when filming. “I did a movie that everybody said could not be done (referring to "Precious"). People thought I was crazy and I kept getting no’s from numerous producers. But what did I do? I kept on going until I got a yes.”

Daniels spoke for roughly thirty minutes and left the remaining time open to the floor for questions. One of his most memorable questions and answers went as follows:

Q: When does an image or phrase become powerful enough for you to create a story out of it? 

A: It’s more of a feeling that I feel. A feeling. It starts with a feeling. A feeling of watching my dad be called a nigger by a cop, and he was a cop, and saying why can you let that man call you a nigger? I was seven. I got slapped in the head against the window. And those feelings I haven’t been able to share with you all is the feeling of watching someone go. I’ve seen so many of my friends pass away in my arms; died, and that feeling is so beautiful, almost like birth. Death, what that does to you, when you watch someone die, is something I want to share, and I haven’t been able to do that. So it’s really not a picture, but rather a feeling.

Reach Staff Reporter Amy Tseng by email.



 

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