Taraji P. Henson (top) and Terrence Howard star in the new TV drama ‘Empire.’ (Courtesy Photo)
After directing and/or producing such successful feature films as The Butler, Monster’s Ball , and Precious , two-time Oscar-nominee Lee Daniels has set his sights on TV for the first time. Here, he talks about directing the new nighttime soap opera Empire, co-starring Terrence Howard and Taraji P. Henson.
Kam Williams: Hi Lee, thanks for another opportunity to speak with you.
Lee Daniels: Great, Kam. How are you?
KW: All is well, thanks. What was the source of inspiration for Empire?
LD: My partner, Danny Strong, came to me with this idea of telling a story about my life, and merging that with music and the Hip-Hop world. He wrote The Butler and originally wanted to do Empire also as a movie.
KW: I had no idea it was semi-autobiographical. Why TV, as opposed to the big screen?
LD: What happened was we decided that’s enough with movies, let’s do it for television so that we could bring this to life for America on a weekly basis. It picks up, historically, where The Butler left off, and deals with race relations. It’s a little bit like my family, a little like some friends of mine with money, their world, and a little like some of my friends without money, their world. I think it’s the African-American experience.
KW: Which character are you? Lucious Lyon ?
LD: I’m Lucious… I’m Jamal… I’m all of the characters. My sister and my cousins are Cookie . Cookie’s little bit of all of them.
KW: Harriet Pakula-Teweles asks: How do film actors like Terrence and Taraji make the transition from the big screen to the small screen?
LD: That’s a very good question and a very complicated one, because with film we get the luxury of time. It works at a different pace. It’s nice and slow. As a film director and as film actors, you get used to a certain rhythm that’s slow. But with TV, it’s hurry, hurry, hurry, hurry, hurry. It’s a different pace. So, it’s about adjusting to the pace. It’s not meant for everybody.
KW: Has the frenetic pace frustrated you?
LD: No, I think it’s made me a better director, because I have to think fast. I no longer have the luxury of taking my time. Does that make any sense?
KW: Thanks again for the time, Lee, and best of luck with Empire.
LD: Thank you, Kam. Talk to you soon.
To see a trailer for Empire, visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBzu_jKLJek
