Sometimes, when you meet someone very special, you get that jolt that is associated with electricity or, as the hippies would say, you experience a “very good vibe.”
That’s how I feel whenever I connect with Lee Daniels—vibed up by proximity to his energy, my creative endeavors moving forward with a bull’s-eye-seeking momentum. That’s the effect of being blessed by Daniels, baptized and draped in the “Lee Effect.”
“Empire” is the perfect example. The hip-hop drama premiered to 9.8 million viewers, earning a 3.7 rating among adults 18-49. Here is what he had to share about the show.
AmNews: Happy New Year.
Daniels: Happy New Year to you too, baby!
 
I love the character Cookie. When I grow up, I want to be Cookie!
(Laughing.) So do I!
 
The family dynamic on “Empire” is almost Shakespearean and yet modern. This music dynasty is worth billions, and there is a bloody fight to claim the “throne.” What can we expect from season one?
We explore the politics of America, race relations, homophobia, sexual intrigue. [Expect] great music and [a look at] Black people with money. Hopefully we’re going to experience the Black experience of today.
 
“Black people with money?” Lee, Black people with “wealth!”
(Pause.) Wealth. Yes. Thank you for that correction. I stand corrected—wealth!
 
Who should we keep our eye fixed upon?
Look out for the two newcomers: Jussie Smollett (Jamal) and YazzTheGreatest aka Bryshere Gray (Hakeem). They play the two younger brothers. Great discoveries.
You know, I had a choice. To either cast singers that I can teach to act or actors that I could teach to sing. So, since I don’t know how to sing and I know a lot of actors can’t sing, I choose actor-singers who I could teach to act. They have really shown their colors.
 
That’s good news! Having Timothy “Timbaland” Mosley behind the sound of the show, I mean, Mr. Lee, you have to give him something meaty to get that massive talent around!
“Tim” did it! Hey, I owe him a call right now, matter of fact. Thank you for reminding me. Now I feel guilty now that you brought his name up.
 
On that note, will there be a soundtrack of music from the series?
Yes, and we will have two songs in every episode.
 
Well, we should thank your twins for that! You asked them, “Who’s the hottest hip-hop producer out there?” and they corrected and said the “hottest producer, Dad, is Timberland.” That just cracks me up! How old are they?
(Laughing.) Nineteen, and they look forward to correcting me every minute of the day! They just came back from college, and I am so happy to have them back. My daughter is studying in Paris and my son is upstate. They came in and we started watching our Academy screeners and I am asking questions, and they are both so smart. And they both said, “Can you just shut up so we can tell you what happened?”
It reminded me, the way that they chided me, it’s the same way that I talk to my mother. They think I don’t know anything.
Family is complex, and in your dynamic the issue of homophobia has a special spot.
Homophobia is rampant in the African-American community, and that’s sad. I think AIDS is no longer a gay disease. It’s a Black woman’s disease because so many Black men are in the closet, and they refuse to come out, because the preacher says, the teacher says, your brother says, your father says, your neighbor says, your co-workers said you can’t! So what’s happening is that we’re killing African-American women with this sort of notion of not being able to be free. This is one of the many issues that we hope to address in the show.
 
At the “Empire” party, I got the opportunity to chat with the “The L Word” creator Ilene Chaiken. I am still buzzing!
She is my showrunner, my executive producer, my tour-de-force, my lesbian-fablisto! I wanted to be a lesbian after watching that show!
Here is the great part about what we are doing—and this is really the icing on the cake. It’s not because I’ve always employed African-American actors, you know, but this time, just when I thought that I had done everything, it’s so fulfilling and rewarding for me to employ African-American writers, directors and to see us working!
I don’t know what I love more, the fact that the show was picked up and is on the air or should I just be grateful about that, or am I grateful because so many people of color are working? It’s a great time for me. I am very happy! I try to be a man of my word. Let me tell you something that my father told me. You carry three things: your Bible, your word and your gun. I ain’t carrying a gun, but I do carry my Bible with me and I do, try, to carry my word