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Lee Daniels says working on Empire was “absolutely the worst experience” but he has no regrets.
Daniels, who created the hit Fox series that aired for six seasons from 2015 to 2020, discussed his experience on the show in an interview with The Film Stage published on Wednesday, Sept. 4.
“I don’t like staying in the same lane just as a creative. When I got into television, I really just wanted to be able to answer to suits. I wanted to know what that experience was like,” explained Daniels, 64. “All of my friends, they get notes and sh–. And I’m like, ‘What is that like?!’ You know what I mean? Because every film of mine had been independent.”
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Noting that “there’s so many filmmakers and writers that I respect that have to answer to people,” he said he decided to work on the series to “see what that experience was like.”
“Horrible. Absolutely the worst experience,” said Daniels when asked, “What was it like?”
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“Horrible! But guess what? F—— that money, money, money! I was able to put my kids through college and s—,” he continued. “So that in itself was worth it.”
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Daniels further reflected on the show, which starred Taraji P. Henson and Terrence Howard, by stating that he didn’t understand its cultural impact. Howard played music mogul Lucious Lyon, while Henson played his onscreen wife, Loretha “Cookie” Lyon.
“I really didn’t,” said Daniels. “I was too busy about Cookie’s hat and the music hat I was trying to get to realize that I was shifting, literally, the culture. That I had single-handedly shifted it with my show.”
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“That there wouldn’t have been a Black Panther, that there wouldn’t have been an Insecure. There wouldn’t have been a Black-ish. All of that sh– happened because I did what I did,” he said. “I was bold enough to say, ‘I don’t give a fu– about these notes that they’re giving me. I’m going to f—— do what I want to do because I don’t need you.’ “
Empire is available to stream on Hulu.
