He did it for his mom.
Daniels recalls her saying, “‘I want you to make movies likeTyler Perry.
Can you just make a Tyler Perry movie?
Lee Daniels and Tyler Perry.Steve Granitz/FilmMagic; Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic
Hes my favorite filmmaker.'”
“I’m your son,” he recalled telling his mother, asking for understanding.
“‘But I like Tyler Perry movies,” she replied.
Lee Daniels in 2024.Roy Rochlin/2024 Getty
“It really fucked me up.
AfterThe Butler, Daniels pitched a splashy drama about dynastic conflict in the music industry to Fox.
It was greenlit asEmpireand ran for six widely-watched, highly-acclaimed seasons.
Daniels tapped Day again to star inThe DeliverancealongsideGlenn Close,Mo’Nique, andAunjanue Ellis.
“Thank you, Mr. Lee Daniels.
Thank you, Mr. Tyler Perry.
You are not treating me fairly.
So y’all can suck my d— if I had one.”
