WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.580 Welcome to the Deep Dive. Today we are cracking 00:00:02.580 --> 00:00:05.419 open the vault on a Hollywood figure whose work 00:00:05.419 --> 00:00:08.220 is consistently raw, often controversial, and 00:00:08.220 --> 00:00:11.380 well, always unforgettable. This is a deep dive 00:00:11.380 --> 00:00:14.080 into the vision, the strategy, and the absolutely 00:00:14.080 --> 00:00:17.570 chaotic, brilliant career of Lee Daniels. Daniels 00:00:17.570 --> 00:00:19.750 is perhaps the ultimate case study in Hollywood 00:00:19.750 --> 00:00:22.649 reinvention and strategic pivoting. The stack 00:00:22.649 --> 00:00:24.469 of sources you share gives us a really complete 00:00:24.469 --> 00:00:27.449 picture of a journey that it just doesn't follow 00:00:27.449 --> 00:00:29.170 the traditional roadmap at all. We're talking 00:00:29.170 --> 00:00:31.149 about a man who went from running a medical nursing 00:00:31.149 --> 00:00:34.250 agency specializing in the HIV AIDS crisis, no 00:00:34.250 --> 00:00:36.670 less to becoming an Oscar nominated director 00:00:36.670 --> 00:00:39.229 and sort of simultaneously a titan of network 00:00:39.229 --> 00:00:41.810 television. Right. That transition is exactly 00:00:41.810 --> 00:00:43.590 what we're here to synthesize. Our mission today 00:00:43.590 --> 00:00:47.479 is, you know, to connect those. seemingly disparate 00:00:47.479 --> 00:00:50.159 parts of his life. The social worker, the street 00:00:50.159 --> 00:00:52.640 smart businessman, the casting director, and 00:00:52.640 --> 00:00:55.100 the auteur. We need to highlight how these shocking 00:00:55.100 --> 00:00:57.579 transitions didn't just happen by luck, but how 00:00:57.579 --> 00:01:00.750 they reveal this singular focus. bringing marginalized, 00:01:00.909 --> 00:01:03.509 really intense human stories, regardless of how 00:01:03.509 --> 00:01:05.530 painful they are, into the biggest spotlight 00:01:05.530 --> 00:01:07.890 possible. Yeah. The big picture of Daniel's work 00:01:07.890 --> 00:01:10.909 is his expert use of visibility. He forces the 00:01:10.909 --> 00:01:13.290 mainstream to confront narratives that are often 00:01:13.290 --> 00:01:16.090 intentionally kept in the dark stories of addiction, 00:01:16.349 --> 00:01:19.709 abuse, sexuality, race. By exploring his diverse 00:01:19.709 --> 00:01:22.209 roles, producer, director, talent manager, content 00:01:22.209 --> 00:01:24.510 executive, we can truly understand the influence 00:01:24.510 --> 00:01:26.790 he wields today. It allows him to jump almost 00:01:26.790 --> 00:01:28.950 effortlessly between gritty independent film 00:01:29.129 --> 00:01:31.870 projects and these massive multimillion dollar 00:01:31.870 --> 00:01:34.030 streaming deals. OK, let's unpack this right 00:01:34.030 --> 00:01:36.569 from the very beginning, laying the foundational 00:01:36.569 --> 00:01:39.890 pavement for his complex career. Lee Louis Daniels 00:01:39.890 --> 00:01:42.129 was born in West Philadelphia, December 24th, 00:01:42.129 --> 00:01:45.769 1959, eldest son of Clara Mae Watson and William 00:01:45.769 --> 00:01:48.409 Louis Daniels. And right from the start, his 00:01:48.409 --> 00:01:50.650 life was marked by incredible personal tragedy, 00:01:50.769 --> 00:01:54.049 but also balanced with this need for like acute 00:01:54.049 --> 00:01:58.329 resourcefulness. That tragedy came in 1975. His 00:01:58.329 --> 00:02:00.849 father, William Louis Daniels, a police officer, 00:02:01.010 --> 00:02:03.329 was killed in the line of duty. Lee was just 00:02:03.329 --> 00:02:06.150 15 years old. I mean, this is an immense, pivotal, 00:02:06.230 --> 00:02:08.949 emotional trauma. And, you know, many critics 00:02:08.949 --> 00:02:10.870 and commentators have noted how the intense, 00:02:11.050 --> 00:02:13.469 often brutal examinations of fractured family 00:02:13.469 --> 00:02:16.110 dynamics of early death and his later filmography 00:02:16.110 --> 00:02:19.270 seem directly informed by this loss. It's a pain 00:02:19.270 --> 00:02:21.789 he carries into his art, it seems. And the resourcefulness, 00:02:21.930 --> 00:02:24.169 that strategic ambition we see later in his business 00:02:24.169 --> 00:02:26.889 career, it's evident right there in how he navigated 00:02:26.889 --> 00:02:29.020 his own education. His family certainly didn't 00:02:29.020 --> 00:02:30.840 live in the affluent suburbs, but his mother 00:02:30.840 --> 00:02:33.159 was absolutely determined that he attend Radnor 00:02:33.159 --> 00:02:35.379 High School. The notes here detail this incredible 00:02:35.379 --> 00:02:38.189 maneuver designed purely to gain access. Oh, 00:02:38.229 --> 00:02:40.289 it's a brilliant anecdote. Really defines his 00:02:40.289 --> 00:02:42.449 early character, doesn't it? To get him into 00:02:42.449 --> 00:02:45.009 that public school system, his mother arranged 00:02:45.009 --> 00:02:47.229 for a neighbor, who worked as a butler for the 00:02:47.229 --> 00:02:49.370 owner of the Philadelphia Flyers hockey team, 00:02:49.590 --> 00:02:52.669 to let them use that owner's address in Radnor. 00:02:53.090 --> 00:02:55.569 This wasn't about privilege, it was a calculated 00:02:55.569 --> 00:02:59.689 move. Securing a better future by sort of navigating 00:02:59.689 --> 00:03:02.509 existing socioeconomic loopholes, he learned 00:03:02.509 --> 00:03:05.770 early that access sometimes requires unconventional 00:03:05.770 --> 00:03:09.330 memes. So he graduated from Radnor in 78, then 00:03:09.330 --> 00:03:11.310 attended Lindenwood University in St. Charles, 00:03:11.449 --> 00:03:13.909 Missouri for a bit. Right. But Hollywood beckoned. 00:03:14.110 --> 00:03:16.849 And this is where we see the first major, really 00:03:16.849 --> 00:03:19.729 shocking career turn, a far cry from the movie 00:03:19.729 --> 00:03:22.189 business. Absolutely. When he moved to Hollywood, 00:03:22.289 --> 00:03:24.430 he didn't start shadowing directors or anything. 00:03:24.569 --> 00:03:26.629 He started as a receptionist in a nursing agency. 00:03:26.930 --> 00:03:29.009 What's truly remarkable, though, is how quickly 00:03:29.009 --> 00:03:31.590 he leveraged that experience. He recognized this 00:03:31.590 --> 00:03:33.750 massive unmet need in the health care system 00:03:33.750 --> 00:03:36.490 and started his own agency. And this wasn't just 00:03:36.490 --> 00:03:38.969 general care either. Daniel's agency specialized 00:03:38.969 --> 00:03:42.449 specifically in HIV AIDS treatment. Wow. And 00:03:42.449 --> 00:03:45.009 if you think about the historical context, the 00:03:45.009 --> 00:03:47.909 early 1980s, that was the absolute height of 00:03:47.909 --> 00:03:50.849 the AIDS crisis, a period just defined by fear, 00:03:51.050 --> 00:03:53.389 stigma, and a desperate lack of institutional 00:03:53.389 --> 00:03:56.430 support. Daniels was running a specialized business 00:03:56.430 --> 00:03:58.289 right at the epicenter of this public health 00:03:58.289 --> 00:04:00.830 emergency. Exactly. And this period is just crucial 00:04:00.830 --> 00:04:03.449 for understanding the maybe the moral foundation 00:04:03.449 --> 00:04:06.310 of his later work. He was literally on the front 00:04:06.310 --> 00:04:08.210 lines dealing with deeply marginalized populations 00:04:08.210 --> 00:04:10.530 facing not just illness, but social judgment, 00:04:10.629 --> 00:04:13.150 systemic neglect. Later in life, he'd speak very 00:04:13.150 --> 00:04:15.669 publicly, very emotionally about this time, noting 00:04:15.669 --> 00:04:18.589 the personal toll it took. This work taught him 00:04:18.589 --> 00:04:20.829 empathy, resilience and frankly, complex, high 00:04:20.829 --> 00:04:23.529 stakes management skills. All assets he would 00:04:23.529 --> 00:04:26.040 transport. onto a film set later. He was dealing 00:04:26.040 --> 00:04:27.959 with life and death before he was dealing with 00:04:27.959 --> 00:04:30.939 box office numbers. And then the ultimate pivot. 00:04:31.019 --> 00:04:33.220 How did he move from medical logistics, patient 00:04:33.220 --> 00:04:36.139 care, to talent management? Well, he sold the 00:04:36.139 --> 00:04:38.980 nursing agency, having maximized his efforts 00:04:38.980 --> 00:04:41.540 there. The pivot to Hollywood was apparently 00:04:41.540 --> 00:04:43.920 facilitated by a chance meeting with the producer. 00:04:44.240 --> 00:04:46.860 He used the capital, the organizational skills 00:04:46.860 --> 00:04:49.019 he'd gained, and just funneled that into a completely 00:04:49.019 --> 00:04:51.579 different field, casting and talent management. 00:04:52.139 --> 00:04:53.939 He possessed the fundamental skill he needed, 00:04:54.139 --> 00:04:57.699 recognizing and handling sensitive, maybe high 00:04:57.699 --> 00:05:00.699 wire talent. And he wasn't just a low level assistant 00:05:00.699 --> 00:05:02.620 in this new phase either. I mean, the sources 00:05:02.620 --> 00:05:04.819 say he was involved in massive projects very 00:05:04.819 --> 00:05:07.819 early on, casting director on Prince films like 00:05:07.819 --> 00:05:10.220 Purple Rain and Under the Cherry Moon. Right. 00:05:10.319 --> 00:05:13.000 Those credits alone confirm his immediate access 00:05:13.000 --> 00:05:15.019 to the highest levels of the entertainment industry. 00:05:15.660 --> 00:05:18.100 Plus, the source notes his management work with 00:05:18.100 --> 00:05:20.560 actor Wes Bentley, who became famous as Ricky 00:05:20.560 --> 00:05:23.209 Fitz in American. beauty. Daniels is actually 00:05:23.209 --> 00:05:25.670 featured in that documentary My Big Break where 00:05:25.670 --> 00:05:27.790 he reflects on Bentley's early struggles with 00:05:27.790 --> 00:05:30.709 the instant overwhelming nature of fame and his 00:05:30.709 --> 00:05:33.870 reluctance to capitalize on it. So his early 00:05:33.870 --> 00:05:36.410 education wasn't film school. It was the brutal 00:05:36.410 --> 00:05:39.069 reality of the AIDS crisis and the equally brutal 00:05:39.069 --> 00:05:41.810 reality of managing fragile magnetic celebrity 00:05:41.810 --> 00:05:44.889 talent. Exactly. That combination taught him 00:05:44.889 --> 00:05:47.889 how to spot raw power in a person, whether it's 00:05:47.889 --> 00:05:50.529 an actor or a character, and how to package and 00:05:50.529 --> 00:05:52.810 present deeply challenging material to the public. 00:05:53.310 --> 00:05:55.850 That casting and management foundation, you could 00:05:55.850 --> 00:05:58.829 argue, is the invisible backbone of his directing 00:05:58.829 --> 00:06:01.290 career. Okay, so the knowledge he gained in those 00:06:01.290 --> 00:06:04.149 early years really exploded onto the scene in 00:06:04.149 --> 00:06:06.569 the 2000s. This marks the start of Section 2. 00:06:06.970 --> 00:06:09.930 His emergence as a defining producer and pioneer. 00:06:10.230 --> 00:06:12.689 His production debut, Monster's Ball in 2001, 00:06:13.089 --> 00:06:15.589 wasn't just successful, it was an industry landmark. 00:06:15.850 --> 00:06:18.069 It really was. The debut production of Lee Daniels 00:06:18.069 --> 00:06:19.910 Entertainment, and it set an immediate precedent 00:06:19.910 --> 00:06:22.550 for the kind of dark, controversial, fiercely 00:06:22.550 --> 00:06:25.089 acted drama that would define his brand. The 00:06:25.089 --> 00:06:27.009 film, of course, led to Halle Berry winning the 00:06:27.009 --> 00:06:29.329 Academy Award for Best Actress, and this is where 00:06:29.329 --> 00:06:32.089 that landmark achievement comes in. Daniels became 00:06:32.089 --> 00:06:34.269 the first African -American film producer to 00:06:34.269 --> 00:06:37.230 solely produce an Oscar -winning film. That detail 00:06:37.230 --> 00:06:41.230 solely produces is so critical. In a system often 00:06:41.230 --> 00:06:43.870 defined by co -productions, where white -lid 00:06:43.870 --> 00:06:46.509 studios often take primary credit, this was a 00:06:46.509 --> 00:06:49.689 moment of true, unequivocal authorship and acknowledgement 00:06:49.689 --> 00:06:52.810 for a black producer. It broke a significant 00:06:52.810 --> 00:06:55.550 barrier. Yeah, it confirmed his place as an undesirable 00:06:55.550 --> 00:06:58.209 force. But here's the profound twist and maybe 00:06:58.209 --> 00:07:00.350 the most personal insight into Daniels himself. 00:07:01.170 --> 00:07:04.389 Despite this monumental historic success, he 00:07:04.389 --> 00:07:07.230 did not attend the Oscars ceremony. That revelation, 00:07:07.449 --> 00:07:10.629 which came out during an emotional MSNBC interview 00:07:10.629 --> 00:07:13.790 in 2019. It's just fascinating. Why would he 00:07:13.790 --> 00:07:16.029 miss the single biggest night of his professional 00:07:16.029 --> 00:07:18.500 life up to that point? He spoke very candidly 00:07:18.500 --> 00:07:20.439 about it, admitted he was struggling severely 00:07:20.439 --> 00:07:22.480 with addiction at the time. And crucially, he 00:07:22.480 --> 00:07:24.379 also confessed to this crippling lack of self 00:07:24.379 --> 00:07:27.100 -worth, a struggle over whether he felt he deserved 00:07:27.100 --> 00:07:30.079 to attend that monumental event. He believed 00:07:30.079 --> 00:07:32.120 at that moment that he wasn't worthy of the success 00:07:32.120 --> 00:07:34.319 he had earned. It just paints a picture of success 00:07:34.319 --> 00:07:36.439 being layered with intense internal conflict. 00:07:36.920 --> 00:07:39.180 It suggests the darkness and trauma he explores 00:07:39.180 --> 00:07:42.079 in his films are perhaps mirrors of his own experiences. 00:07:42.339 --> 00:07:44.980 It makes his subsequent focus on marginalized, 00:07:45.500 --> 00:07:48.079 often broken characters even more understandable. 00:07:48.319 --> 00:07:51.360 He continued that pattern of serious, award -contending 00:07:51.360 --> 00:07:54.420 drama with The Woodsman in 2004, starring Kevin 00:07:54.420 --> 00:07:57.139 Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick. Yeah, The Woodsman confirmed 00:07:57.139 --> 00:08:00.040 his reputation wasn't a fluke. Premiered at Sundance, 00:08:00.120 --> 00:08:02.500 immediately got serious critical attention. Three 00:08:02.500 --> 00:08:05.139 nominations at the 2005 Independent Spirit Awards. 00:08:05.579 --> 00:08:08.600 But beyond the domestic praise, it also won the 00:08:08.600 --> 00:08:12.000 prestigious CK Art House Prize at Cannes and 00:08:12.000 --> 00:08:14.040 received a special mention for excellence in 00:08:14.040 --> 00:08:15.819 filmmaking from the National Board of Review. 00:08:16.259 --> 00:08:19.180 This showed he could spot high -quality, international 00:08:19.180 --> 00:08:21.540 -level artistic content that resonated across 00:08:21.540 --> 00:08:23.759 global festivals. And as his production profile 00:08:23.759 --> 00:08:26.519 rose, he started leveraging that influence for 00:08:26.519 --> 00:08:28.259 direct social action, right? Getting back to 00:08:28.259 --> 00:08:30.730 his... roots in activism. Absolutely. The source 00:08:30.730 --> 00:08:34.409 notes a key interception in March 2004. Former 00:08:34.409 --> 00:08:36.990 President Bill Clinton personally persuaded Daniels 00:08:36.990 --> 00:08:39.309 to produce public service announcements. These 00:08:39.309 --> 00:08:41.889 PSAs were specifically aimed at encouraging young 00:08:41.889 --> 00:08:44.350 people of color to vote, featuring major Grammy 00:08:44.350 --> 00:08:47.730 winners like LL Cool J and Alicia Keys. It shows 00:08:47.730 --> 00:08:50.929 he viewed his success as a platform, not just, 00:08:50.929 --> 00:08:54.330 you know, a personal achievement. Then in 2005, 00:08:54.509 --> 00:08:56.950 he decided to take the risk, make the leap to 00:08:56.950 --> 00:09:00.029 the director's chair with Shadowbox. moving from 00:09:00.029 --> 00:09:02.370 producer managing budget logistics to director 00:09:02.370 --> 00:09:05.350 managing the autistic vision that's a huge change 00:09:05.350 --> 00:09:07.629 it is a massive shift in responsibility and he 00:09:07.629 --> 00:09:10.309 went big immediately shadow boxer featured this 00:09:10.309 --> 00:09:13.149 staggering ensemble cast helen mirren cuba gooding 00:09:13.149 --> 00:09:16.090 jr monique joseph gordon levitt that's an immediate 00:09:16.090 --> 00:09:18.529 sign that hollywood trusted his ability to manage 00:09:18.529 --> 00:09:20.769 big names a skill he honed during his management 00:09:20.769 --> 00:09:23.269 days now while the film was critically divisive 00:09:23.269 --> 00:09:25.389 it has a pretty low score actually it did debut 00:09:25.389 --> 00:09:27.549 at the toronto international film festival and 00:09:27.549 --> 00:09:29.710 earned him nomination for Best New Director at 00:09:29.710 --> 00:09:31.809 the San Sebastian Film Festival. It proved he 00:09:31.809 --> 00:09:34.090 had officially arrived as an auteur, even if 00:09:34.090 --> 00:09:36.049 not everyone loved the result. We should also 00:09:36.049 --> 00:09:37.809 briefly touch on the production Tennessee in 00:09:37.809 --> 00:09:40.350 2008, with all his two brothers searching for 00:09:40.350 --> 00:09:42.490 their estranged father. Yeah, the main importance 00:09:42.490 --> 00:09:45.070 of Tennessee looking back is probably its casting. 00:09:45.190 --> 00:09:47.529 It marked the introduction of Mariah Carey in 00:09:47.529 --> 00:09:49.990 a dramatic role as Crystal, an aspiring singer. 00:09:50.629 --> 00:09:52.970 Daniels clearly had a knack for finding this 00:09:52.970 --> 00:09:56.129 hidden dramatic depth in music stars. This predated 00:09:56.129 --> 00:09:58.110 his work on Precious with her, and certainly 00:09:58.110 --> 00:10:00.110 laid some groundwork for his massive television 00:10:00.110 --> 00:10:02.389 successes later, where musical talent would be 00:10:02.389 --> 00:10:04.809 absolutely central. Okay, moving into section 00:10:04.809 --> 00:10:08.799 three. We hit the years 2009 to 2014, the period 00:10:08.799 --> 00:10:12.259 of his undeniable defining breakthrough. If Monster's 00:10:12.259 --> 00:10:15.080 Ball was the historic success, the cultural force 00:10:15.080 --> 00:10:17.620 that was precious in 2009 was, well, the career 00:10:17.620 --> 00:10:20.460 definer. Precious, based on the novel Push by 00:10:20.460 --> 00:10:23.299 Sapphire. Yeah, it cemented the Lee Daniels brand 00:10:23.299 --> 00:10:26.080 of unflinching, harsh realism, but with a surprising 00:10:26.080 --> 00:10:29.080 capacity for popular appeal. The premise alone 00:10:29.080 --> 00:10:31.629 is just gut -wrenching. The story of an obese, 00:10:31.929 --> 00:10:34.450 illiterate 16 -year -old girl, played by Gabourey 00:10:34.450 --> 00:10:37.330 Sidibe, enduring horrific systemic physical, 00:10:37.529 --> 00:10:39.529 sexual, and emotional abuse from her mother, 00:10:39.610 --> 00:10:42.450 played by Monique, in 1980's Harlem. Not an easy 00:10:42.450 --> 00:10:45.269 film to watch, by any stretch, but it completely 00:10:45.269 --> 00:10:47.509 dominated the critical conversation that year. 00:10:47.610 --> 00:10:50.269 It truly did. Created a firestorm of discussion 00:10:50.269 --> 00:10:53.090 after screening at Sundance. It maintained a 00:10:53.090 --> 00:10:55.909 stunning 92 % rating on Rotten Tomatoes, which 00:10:55.909 --> 00:10:58.269 is incredibly high for material this difficult. 00:10:59.399 --> 00:11:01.639 But maybe more importantly for Daniel's trajectory, 00:11:02.139 --> 00:11:04.720 it proved his artistic vision could be financially 00:11:04.720 --> 00:11:08.500 viable. Grossed $63 million worldwide against 00:11:08.500 --> 00:11:11.879 a very modest $10 million budget. I mean, that's 00:11:11.879 --> 00:11:14.639 the ultimate proof of concept, an uncompromising 00:11:14.639 --> 00:11:17.039 artistic vision that's also a commercial powerhouse. 00:11:17.279 --> 00:11:19.559 And the Academy couldn't ignore it. Daniels himself 00:11:19.559 --> 00:11:22.080 nominated for Best Director the film for Best 00:11:22.080 --> 00:11:24.580 Picture. And Monika's course took home the statue 00:11:24.580 --> 00:11:26.700 for Best Supporting Actress. That success was 00:11:26.700 --> 00:11:28.919 recognized across the board. He won the Independent 00:11:28.919 --> 00:11:31.980 Spirit Award for Best Director, the NAACP Image 00:11:31.980 --> 00:11:34.559 Award for Outstanding Directing, showing both 00:11:34.559 --> 00:11:37.120 the indie film community and black arts organizations 00:11:37.120 --> 00:11:39.980 recognize the power of his work. Precious just 00:11:39.980 --> 00:11:41.980 cemented his reputation as a director willing 00:11:41.980 --> 00:11:44.320 to dive into the darkest human experiences and 00:11:44.320 --> 00:11:46.799 emerge with both critical validation and commercial 00:11:46.799 --> 00:11:49.059 success. What's fascinating, though, is what 00:11:49.059 --> 00:11:51.120 he chose to do immediately following that global 00:11:51.120 --> 00:11:54.279 success. Instead of, say, another prestige historical 00:11:54.279 --> 00:11:57.559 drama, he directed the deeply polarizing film 00:11:57.559 --> 00:12:01.299 The Paperboy in 2012. Classic Daniel's strategic 00:12:01.299 --> 00:12:04.340 move, right? He deliberately avoids repetition. 00:12:04.919 --> 00:12:07.659 The Paperboy, based on a novel, was this eccentric 00:12:07.659 --> 00:12:10.620 Southern Gothic noir, stars Matthew McConaughey, 00:12:10.799 --> 00:12:14.039 Zac Efron, Nicole Kidman. Daniels not only directed, 00:12:14.100 --> 00:12:16.580 but also co -wrote the script, and it competed 00:12:16.580 --> 00:12:18.399 for the Palme d 'Or at Cannes, which confirms 00:12:18.399 --> 00:12:20.600 its artistic ambition. Yet the critical reception 00:12:20.600 --> 00:12:23.279 was utterly divided. It sits at, what, 45 % on 00:12:23.279 --> 00:12:25.360 Rotten Tomatoes? If you've just come off a 92 00:12:25.360 --> 00:12:28.299 % certified fresh hit, why chase such a divisive, 00:12:28.299 --> 00:12:30.659 eccentric project? Seems like it risks your newly 00:12:30.659 --> 00:12:33.000 established prestige. Because the goal isn't 00:12:33.000 --> 00:12:35.399 necessarily consensus, I think. The goal is creating 00:12:35.399 --> 00:12:39.019 visibility and challenging expectations. Critics 00:12:39.019 --> 00:12:41.539 found his direction heavily stylized, leaning 00:12:41.539 --> 00:12:44.799 into excess melodrama. He took a genre film and 00:12:44.799 --> 00:12:47.679 amplified its most shocking elements. This tells 00:12:47.679 --> 00:12:50.539 us he values artistic freedom, maximal impact 00:12:50.539 --> 00:12:53.580 over critical comfort. He's an auteur who wants 00:12:53.580 --> 00:12:55.779 you to feel something, even if that feeling is 00:12:55.779 --> 00:12:58.539 disgust or confusion. That approach takes courage, 00:12:58.639 --> 00:13:00.919 sure, but it also creates this interesting tension 00:13:00.919 --> 00:13:03.480 in his overall filmography. He quickly followed 00:13:03.480 --> 00:13:05.340 that divisive project though with a monumental 00:13:05.340 --> 00:13:09.179 commercial triumph. The Butler in 2013, this 00:13:09.179 --> 00:13:11.679 time back in the prestige, accessible historical 00:13:11.679 --> 00:13:14.120 drama space. Lee Daniels' The Butler, yeah, a 00:13:14.120 --> 00:13:16.720 massive scale film showcased his capacity to 00:13:16.720 --> 00:13:18.820 manage grand narrative structures. A gigantic 00:13:18.820 --> 00:13:21.539 ensemble cast Forrest Whitaker, Oprah Winfrey, 00:13:21.659 --> 00:13:23.639 Alan Rickman, Terrence Howard. I mean, the list 00:13:23.639 --> 00:13:25.320 goes on. Commercially, it was a blockbuster. 00:13:25.559 --> 00:13:27.720 Grossed well over $100 million in the United 00:13:27.720 --> 00:13:29.960 States against a relatively moderate $30 million 00:13:29.960 --> 00:13:32.500 budget. Huge return. And the critical response 00:13:32.500 --> 00:13:34.340 was solid, though maybe a little mixed. Yeah. 00:13:34.399 --> 00:13:37.169 Landed at 72 % on Rotten Potatoes. So this entire 00:13:37.169 --> 00:13:40.289 period really shows his strategic range. He can 00:13:40.289 --> 00:13:42.450 deliver the harsh, uncompromising indie film 00:13:42.450 --> 00:13:45.190 like Precious, the polarizing arthouse experiment 00:13:45.190 --> 00:13:48.210 like The Paperboy, and the mainstream star -studded 00:13:48.210 --> 00:13:51.029 historical epic like The Butler. He proved he 00:13:51.029 --> 00:13:53.470 could access pretty much any audience. And that 00:13:53.470 --> 00:13:56.629 ability to access and maybe manipulate the mainstream 00:13:56.629 --> 00:13:59.429 audience is precisely why he made the transition 00:13:59.429 --> 00:14:02.009 to television mogul. Which brings us to section 00:14:02.009 --> 00:14:04.649 four, defining his current status in the industry. 00:14:05.149 --> 00:14:08.269 Starting in 2015, Daniels completely redefined 00:14:08.269 --> 00:14:10.250 his career again with the Fox series Empire. 00:14:10.649 --> 00:14:13.269 Oh, Empire. It wasn't just a hit. It was a cultural 00:14:13.269 --> 00:14:15.309 earthquake. Dominated conversation, ratings, 00:14:15.509 --> 00:14:17.769 everything for years. Co -created and co -written 00:14:17.769 --> 00:14:19.870 by Daniels with his The Butler screenwriter, 00:14:19.970 --> 00:14:22.750 Danny Strong. It was this high stakes music industry 00:14:22.750 --> 00:14:25.110 melodrama starring Terrence Howard and Daraji 00:14:25.110 --> 00:14:27.850 P. Henson. Daniels directed and co -wrote the 00:14:27.850 --> 00:14:30.429 pilot episode himself, setting that high octane, 00:14:30.429 --> 00:14:33.580 visually excessive tone. The show succeeded, 00:14:33.740 --> 00:14:36.200 I think, because it blended the melodramatic 00:14:36.200 --> 00:14:39.139 plotting of a primetime soap opera with the glamour 00:14:39.139 --> 00:14:41.779 and intensity of the music business. All while 00:14:41.779 --> 00:14:44.779 tackling themes of race, class, sexuality that 00:14:44.779 --> 00:14:46.860 Daniels had been exploring in film for years. 00:14:47.179 --> 00:14:49.720 It proved his cinematic sensibility could translate 00:14:49.720 --> 00:14:52.419 into a format built for weekly viewership. And 00:14:52.419 --> 00:14:55.059 how? The speed of its success was just staggering. 00:14:55.279 --> 00:14:57.779 It wasn't a slow burn. It was an immediate phenomenon. 00:14:58.200 --> 00:15:01.139 Ran for five successful years, 2015 to 2020. 00:15:01.690 --> 00:15:03.649 And he immediately leveraged that success, of 00:15:03.649 --> 00:15:05.690 course. Co -created and co -executive produced 00:15:05.690 --> 00:15:08.470 the follow -up series, Star. Another music -focused 00:15:08.470 --> 00:15:11.730 show ran from 2016 to 2019. This established 00:15:11.730 --> 00:15:13.950 that his success wasn't dependent on a single 00:15:13.950 --> 00:15:16.730 character or cast. He developed a formula, a 00:15:16.730 --> 00:15:19.009 production system, that consistently delivered 00:15:19.009 --> 00:15:21.330 high -value entertainment focused on the world 00:15:21.330 --> 00:15:23.850 of black music and high drama. This consistency 00:15:23.850 --> 00:15:26.090 is why he's now one of the most powerful content 00:15:26.090 --> 00:15:27.950 executives in the business. Let's look at the 00:15:27.950 --> 00:15:30.149 business end of his empire for a second. Right, 00:15:30.230 --> 00:15:32.269 the strategic importance of his deals really 00:15:32.269 --> 00:15:35.940 cannot be overstated. In May 2021, Lee Daniels 00:15:35.940 --> 00:15:38.080 Entertainment extended its overall deal with 00:15:38.080 --> 00:15:41.220 20th Television. And 20th Television is a key 00:15:41.220 --> 00:15:43.480 subsidiary under the massive Disney umbrella. 00:15:43.899 --> 00:15:46.419 This positions him not just as a filmmaker who 00:15:46.419 --> 00:15:49.200 occasionally works in TV, but as a massive, reliable 00:15:49.200 --> 00:15:52.059 content provider tied to one of the largest media 00:15:52.059 --> 00:15:54.059 conglomerates globally. And his market worth 00:15:54.059 --> 00:15:55.919 is quantified in the streaming wars, too, right? 00:15:56.039 --> 00:15:58.240 Yeah. We have details on the astonishing price 00:15:58.240 --> 00:16:00.320 tag attached to his upcoming projects. Oh, yeah. 00:16:00.379 --> 00:16:03.669 The market has spoken loudly. January 2022, Netflix 00:16:03.669 --> 00:16:07.450 won this $65 million -plus for a horror project 00:16:07.450 --> 00:16:09.950 directed by a man best known for brutal dramas 00:16:09.950 --> 00:16:12.210 like Precious and historical epics like The Butler. 00:16:13.029 --> 00:16:15.230 It just demonstrates the market's belief in his 00:16:15.230 --> 00:16:18.029 ability to attract both A -list talent and massive 00:16:18.029 --> 00:16:20.809 audiences, regardless of genre. I mean, the cast 00:16:20.809 --> 00:16:23.190 alone, Andra Day, Octavia Spencer, Glenn Close, 00:16:23.309 --> 00:16:26.480 kind of justifies the price tag. It also confirms 00:16:26.480 --> 00:16:28.919 his commitment to genre exploration, just like 00:16:28.919 --> 00:16:31.399 the paperboy, right? He's taking the horror genre 00:16:31.399 --> 00:16:33.820 and imbuing it with his signature intense dramatic 00:16:33.820 --> 00:16:36.820 weight. And furthermore, he's expanding his prestige 00:16:36.820 --> 00:16:39.149 projects through streaming, too. It was announced 00:16:39.149 --> 00:16:41.610 April 2022 he'll develop and direct a limited 00:16:41.610 --> 00:16:44.110 series based on the complex, turbulent life of 00:16:44.110 --> 00:16:46.250 Sammy Davis Jr. for 20th Television and Hulu. 00:16:46.570 --> 00:16:49.049 Elijah Kelly set to star. So the combination 00:16:49.049 --> 00:16:51.570 of these projects, genre film, historical biography, 00:16:51.809 --> 00:16:54.269 ongoing television production, it shows he has 00:16:54.269 --> 00:16:56.570 mastered operating across every major platform 00:16:56.570 --> 00:16:59.809 simultaneously, maintaining this consistent output 00:16:59.809 --> 00:17:03.149 of high -stakes, star -driven content. including 00:17:03.149 --> 00:17:04.950 his recent films The United States vs. Billie 00:17:04.950 --> 00:17:07.950 Holiday in 2021 and the upcoming The Deliverance 00:17:07.950 --> 00:17:11.390 in 2024. Plus, he produced Concrete Cowboy in 00:17:11.390 --> 00:17:14.049 2020, showing his reach into indie coming -of 00:17:14.049 --> 00:17:16.420 -age stories too. OK, now that we've charted 00:17:16.420 --> 00:17:18.319 the professional peaks and pivots, let's shift 00:17:18.319 --> 00:17:21.339 to Section 5, focusing on the core of his public 00:17:21.339 --> 00:17:24.380 identity, his lifelong activism, his perspective 00:17:24.380 --> 00:17:26.519 on identity and how he has managed significant 00:17:26.519 --> 00:17:29.019 public controversy. His identity as an activist 00:17:29.019 --> 00:17:31.420 isn't a recent development. It's rooted right 00:17:31.420 --> 00:17:33.460 back in his early work in that nursing agency. 00:17:33.660 --> 00:17:36.819 In 2018, Amphar, the Foundation for AIDS Research, 00:17:37.099 --> 00:17:39.160 paid this powerful tribute to him at their annual 00:17:39.160 --> 00:17:42.089 gala. Queen Latifah presented him with the Amphar 00:17:42.089 --> 00:17:44.549 Award of Courage. Yeah, that moment was deeply 00:17:44.549 --> 00:17:46.829 reflective, connecting his past work with his 00:17:46.829 --> 00:17:49.789 current platform. Latifa specifically acknowledged 00:17:49.789 --> 00:17:52.309 his time spent working with AIDS patients and 00:17:52.309 --> 00:17:55.170 praised him for his artistic contribution, noting 00:17:55.170 --> 00:17:57.730 that he created unfailingly human characters 00:17:57.730 --> 00:18:00.470 who are striving to rise above difficult circumstances. 00:18:00.670 --> 00:18:03.569 That legacy of care and visibility, it's just 00:18:03.569 --> 00:18:06.369 inextricably linked. His acceptance speech was 00:18:06.369 --> 00:18:09.269 incredibly emotional, apparently. Not just a 00:18:09.269 --> 00:18:11.609 thank you, it was a raw personal reflection on 00:18:11.609 --> 00:18:13.470 the human cost of the crisis that shaped him. 00:18:13.799 --> 00:18:16.039 He spoke directly about the generation lost to 00:18:16.039 --> 00:18:18.079 AIDS, revealing that the crisis had taken at 00:18:18.079 --> 00:18:21.579 least 40 of his personal friends. 40! That number 00:18:21.579 --> 00:18:23.359 just gives you a sense of the immense personal 00:18:23.359 --> 00:18:25.900 trauma he carried forward from the 80s and 90s. 00:18:26.019 --> 00:18:28.880 It reinforces why he is consistently driven to 00:18:28.880 --> 00:18:31.859 give voice and visibility to those who have suffered 00:18:31.859 --> 00:18:34.839 or been silenced. And beyond his AIDS advocacy, 00:18:35.140 --> 00:18:37.539 he's received broad recognition for his professional 00:18:37.539 --> 00:18:40.720 stature. In 2016, he received a star on the Hollywood 00:18:40.720 --> 00:18:43.039 Walk of Fame, specifically for his contributions 00:18:43.039 --> 00:18:46.400 to television. And he actively engages in discussions 00:18:46.400 --> 00:18:49.299 around civil rights and identity, listed as a 00:18:49.299 --> 00:18:51.059 runner -up for the Advocates Person of the Year 00:18:51.059 --> 00:18:54.240 in 2015. Participated prominently in the Human 00:18:54.240 --> 00:18:56.400 Rights Campaign video tribute to the victims 00:18:56.400 --> 00:18:59.559 of the Orlando Night Love shooting in 2016. He 00:18:59.559 --> 00:19:02.319 uses his voice deliberately in moments of crisis. 00:19:02.740 --> 00:19:05.880 On a personal level, Daniels is openly gay. lives 00:19:05.880 --> 00:19:08.720 in manhattan the sources give this lovely detail 00:19:08.720 --> 00:19:11.579 about his family life he and his then partner 00:19:11.579 --> 00:19:14.359 casting director billy hopkins adopted daniel's 00:19:14.359 --> 00:19:17.380 biological niece and nephew clara and liam speaks 00:19:17.380 --> 00:19:19.160 to his ability to blend personal and professional 00:19:19.160 --> 00:19:21.680 relationships and maybe redefine what family 00:19:21.680 --> 00:19:24.759 means He also instigated a really profound public 00:19:24.759 --> 00:19:27.059 discussion about identity when Empire was at 00:19:27.059 --> 00:19:29.920 its peak. In 2015, he addressed the complexity 00:19:29.920 --> 00:19:32.480 of identity by stating that both he and Empire 00:19:32.480 --> 00:19:35.599 actor Jussie Smollett are sexually fluid despite 00:19:35.599 --> 00:19:37.859 identifying as gay men. That was a compelling 00:19:37.859 --> 00:19:40.039 moment in mainstream media, wasn't it? Pushing 00:19:40.039 --> 00:19:42.400 back against rigid definitions of sexuality that 00:19:42.400 --> 00:19:44.759 many people still hold. He explained his viewpoint 00:19:44.759 --> 00:19:46.980 quite beautifully. He articulated that attraction 00:19:46.980 --> 00:19:49.960 is often based on spiritual or energetic connection 00:19:49.960 --> 00:19:53.710 rather than just gender. He explained, and I'm 00:19:53.710 --> 00:20:13.829 quoting here, Now, we do have to address the 00:20:13.829 --> 00:20:16.789 major public controversy from this period. the 00:20:16.789 --> 00:20:19.529 highly publicized defamation lawsuit filed by 00:20:19.529 --> 00:20:22.029 Sean Penn. And we need to report this neutrally, 00:20:22.029 --> 00:20:24.329 sticking only to the facts provided in the source 00:20:24.329 --> 00:20:26.970 material. Right. The controversy stems from a 00:20:26.970 --> 00:20:30.309 September 2015 Rolling Stone interview. Daniels 00:20:30.309 --> 00:20:32.349 was asked about Empire star Terrence Howard's 00:20:32.349 --> 00:20:35.150 documented history of domestic violence. In attempting 00:20:35.150 --> 00:20:38.089 to maybe defend or rationalize Howard's difficult 00:20:38.089 --> 00:20:40.569 personal history, Daniels drew a comparison. 00:20:40.809 --> 00:20:43.569 He specifically called Howard a poor boy. who 00:20:43.569 --> 00:20:45.369 ain't done nothing different than Marlon Brando 00:20:45.369 --> 00:20:47.609 or Sean Penn. That comment immediately linked 00:20:47.609 --> 00:20:49.750 to highly visible actors who have faced public 00:20:49.750 --> 00:20:52.690 scrutiny regarding their behavior. Exactly. And 00:20:52.690 --> 00:20:55.490 a week later, Sean Penn filed a significant $10 00:20:55.490 --> 00:20:58.970 million defamation lawsuit against Daniels. Penn's 00:20:58.970 --> 00:21:02.150 legal team argued that Daniels falsely and negligently 00:21:02.150 --> 00:21:04.809 equated Penn with Howard, emphasizing that Penn, 00:21:05.029 --> 00:21:07.690 unlike Howard, had never been arrested, much 00:21:07.690 --> 00:21:11.079 less convicted for domestic violence. They asserted 00:21:11.079 --> 00:21:13.039 this comparison was highly damaging to Penn's 00:21:13.039 --> 00:21:15.559 public and professional reputation. The situation 00:21:15.559 --> 00:21:18.480 was resolved fairly quickly, though. May 2016, 00:21:19.019 --> 00:21:21.359 Penn dropped the lawsuit after Daniels issued 00:21:21.359 --> 00:21:23.480 a public retraction of his statement and offered 00:21:23.480 --> 00:21:26.400 an apology. This incident provides a very sharp, 00:21:26.480 --> 00:21:29.099 clear illustration of the immense legal and financial 00:21:29.099 --> 00:21:31.740 scrutiny that major creators face when they attempt 00:21:31.740 --> 00:21:33.819 to rationalize the difficult or violent behavior 00:21:33.819 --> 00:21:35.539 of their professional colleagues in the public 00:21:35.539 --> 00:21:39.079 sphere. So when we look at the full panorama 00:21:39.079 --> 00:21:41.339 of Lee Daniels' career, from the back office 00:21:41.339 --> 00:21:43.480 of a nursing agency to the director's chair at 00:21:43.480 --> 00:21:46.140 Netflix, what does this all truly mean for his 00:21:46.140 --> 00:21:48.460 legacy? Well, we're left with a career defined 00:21:48.460 --> 00:21:51.380 by these two warring forces almost. Intense critical 00:21:51.380 --> 00:21:54.259 division versus undeniable commercial and cultural 00:21:54.259 --> 00:21:57.059 success. On one hand, he's a historic filmmaker. 00:21:57.789 --> 00:22:00.349 First African -American solely producing an Oscar 00:22:00.349 --> 00:22:03.289 winner, a Best Director nominee. But his critical 00:22:03.289 --> 00:22:06.289 scores often bounce wildly. You've got the soaring 00:22:06.289 --> 00:22:08.769 92 percent for Precious, but then films like 00:22:08.769 --> 00:22:11.369 Shadowbox are landing in the teens. His recent 00:22:11.369 --> 00:22:13.660 horror output has also been met with. Pretty 00:22:13.660 --> 00:22:15.900 mixed results. His impact, however, seems always 00:22:15.900 --> 00:22:18.720 to transcend the specific critical rating. He's 00:22:18.720 --> 00:22:20.839 not necessarily seeking that middle ground acceptance 00:22:20.839 --> 00:22:24.240 that earns high 80 scores. He's seeking the visceral 00:22:24.240 --> 00:22:27.160 reaction, the conversation, the visibility. Precisely. 00:22:27.160 --> 00:22:29.319 His career is essentially built on these two 00:22:29.319 --> 00:22:32.019 massive strategic poles that he operates simultaneously. 00:22:32.559 --> 00:22:35.079 There's the gritty, uncompromising auteur breaking 00:22:35.079 --> 00:22:37.440 barriers in independent cinema, specializing 00:22:37.440 --> 00:22:40.960 in painful, sometimes exploitative realism. And 00:22:40.960 --> 00:22:42.519 then there's the powerhouse content creator. 00:22:42.829 --> 00:22:44.670 dominating mainstream television and streaming, 00:22:44.789 --> 00:22:46.710 securing those massive multi -million dollar 00:22:46.710 --> 00:22:49.509 deals, drawing immense star power. His ability 00:22:49.509 --> 00:22:52.569 to master both lanes is pretty unique. And he's 00:22:52.569 --> 00:22:54.630 a survivor, right? He transitioned from personal 00:22:54.630 --> 00:22:57.250 tragedy and youth to the front lines of the devastating 00:22:57.250 --> 00:22:59.829 AIDS crisis to his own personal struggles with 00:22:59.829 --> 00:23:02.569 addiction and self -worth, all while continuously 00:23:02.569 --> 00:23:05.890 creating demanding, unflinching content. He always 00:23:05.890 --> 00:23:07.970 finds a way to channel that difficulty into his 00:23:07.970 --> 00:23:11.130 art. Yeah, that ability to turn trauma into visibility 00:23:11.130 --> 00:23:13.690 and then turn visibility into a commercial empire, 00:23:13.990 --> 00:23:16.690 that's his legacy. He's the person who gave the 00:23:16.690 --> 00:23:18.690 world one of the most brutal indie films ever 00:23:18.690 --> 00:23:21.089 made and one of the biggest network TV hits of 00:23:21.089 --> 00:23:24.170 the last decade. It forces us to reconsider how 00:23:24.170 --> 00:23:26.569 we judge artistic success in the 21st century. 00:23:26.950 --> 00:23:29.490 So given Daniel's history of making these intensely 00:23:29.490 --> 00:23:31.690 personal, often dark stories about abuse and 00:23:31.690 --> 00:23:34.069 difficult circumstances, how does his ability 00:23:34.069 --> 00:23:36.210 to achieve massive commercial success in both 00:23:36.210 --> 00:23:38.880 film and TV, despite... often challenging critical 00:23:38.880 --> 00:23:41.859 reviews redefined what we consider successful 00:23:41.859 --> 00:23:44.480 filmmaking in the modern era. Does his unique 00:23:44.480 --> 00:23:47.460 style, that highly charged melodrama, inherently 00:23:47.460 --> 00:23:50.299 resist traditional critical assessment, prioritizing 00:23:50.299 --> 00:23:51.920 cultural conversation and audience engagement 00:23:51.920 --> 00:23:54.799 above all else? That is the fascinating, provocative 00:23:54.799 --> 00:23:57.200 question his journey compels you, the listener, 00:23:57.319 --> 00:23:57.700 to consider.