*Lee Daniels revealed in a new interview that the majority of his movies have all been independently financed through his company, with “Monster’s Ball” notably funded using “drug money.”
“Every film of mine has been independent,” Daniels told The Film Stage “All of my sh*t is independent. You know, my first movie was developed with drug money. Monster’s Ball. We won the first Black woman an Oscar [Halle Berry]. Every one of my films has been independently financed where I’m able to.”
In a 2019 interview with MSNBC, Daniels said his decision to form his own production “started out because I was a manager, and I could not find employment for the African-American actors that I was working for.”
He added, “Literally, and I can’t believe I’m saying this in my lifetime, they were just pimps, they were just prostitutes, they were drug addicts, and those were the opportunities that were available to us as people of color… I couldn’t find employment for these actors as a manager, so I said, ‘Let me change it up so I can create opportunity.'”
Daniels’ latest movie is the new Netflix horror “The Deliverance.” The film is inspired by a true story and centers on Ebony Jackson (Andra Day), a struggling single mother fighting personal demons, who moves her family into a new home for a fresh start. But when strange occurrences inside the home raise the suspicions of Child Protective Services and threaten to tear the family apart, Ebony soon finds herself locked in a battle for her life and the souls of her children.
The movie reimagines the events described by Latoya Ammons and the demonic experiences in her family’s Indiana home in 2011. Indianapolis Star detailed her story in a 2014 article.
Glenn Close also stars in “The Deliverance” along with Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor and Mo’Nique. The supernatural horror is available to stream on Netflix and is currently the most-watched title on the platform.
EUR’s Marie Moore reported that Lee said the movie serves as a “wake-up call.”
“I feel like we’re in dark times. And for me, it was about finding my higher power. It was about finding Jesus again for me,” Daniels said in August during a panel discussion at The Whitby Hotel in New York. “I don’t know whether or not we’re going to be around tomorrow. I’m trying to scare you to your higher power, be it Allah or Buddha. For me, it’s Jesus Christ.”
He added, “It’s also about Black women never being believed. She’s never believed. And so, I really wanted to drive that home. Even her Black social worker didn’t believe her.
READ MORE FROM EURWEB.COM: Lee Daniels Reacts to Glenn Close’s Controversial ‘Nappy P****y’ Scene in ‘The Deliverance’
