A biography for Lee Danielshasn’t been written yet.
“I went back-to-back from 'Paperboy' to 'Butler,' literally with no break.”
“I come from a family of domestics. I think most African-Americans of my age do. They were trusted by their bosses. I have met so many white people that spent more time with their nannies than they have with their own parents.”
“I'm not Tyler Perry. I'm not Dino De Laurentis. I think it's a bit much to put one's name in front of the film. It makes me uncomfortable.”
“Here's the thing: I think the media underestimates the intelligence of the moviegoer. We need to be fulfilled. People want to sit down and think, and I try to make people think.”
“I want to live in my truth. Tell me you don't like me, and I know it. But when you don't tell me, and you work behind my back, it's a lie, and I don't know how to fight that.”
“My mom knew early on that I was gay, and she knew that I had to get out of the ghetto.”
“I like to show the grey area in all my characters.”
“'Shadowboxer' was based on my life.”
“Theater was always in the backdrop. Nursing was a way to pay the bills. I wasn't a nurse; I had a nursing agency.”
“I don't know - I haven't seen any of my movies after I finish them. I leave the editing room; I don't go back.”
“I worked at Warner Bros. for a while. I was the head of the minority talent casting. It was like pre-Spike Lee and post-blaxploitation era.”
“'Push' had a story, 'The Paperboy' story you could just throw up in the air and shoot holes through the book because the story wasn't as strong. But I felt the characters were stronger in 'The Paperboy'; they were vivid.”
“I was always in trouble. I was mischievous. And movies were always a part of my world.”
“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.”
“I'm a filmmaker. I'm always searching for the truth in everything I do. I demand it from my writing partner and my crew, actors, and so hopefully, we're making people think.”
“I hate white people writing for black people; it's so offensive. So we go out and look specifically for African-American voices.”
“I was the oldest of five children, each about a year apart, and my mother, bless her heart, had her hands full.”
“I have twins that I didn't want to have the life that I had. I didn't have a great life growing up.”
“I believe strongly that characters are five-dimensional, and they're complicated, and life is complicated, and people are complicated.”
“The ratings board is completely different when it comes to film versus the television arena.”