Connect with us

Film

Lee Daniels Reveals How His Spiritual Journey and Finding Forgiveness with Mo’Nique Influenced ‘The Deliverance’

Published

on

Lee Daniels, thegrio.com

Lee Daniels’ latest film is about literally breaking free out of your demons.

“The Deliverance” follows Ebony (Andra Day), an alcoholic mother who struggles to boost her children on her own after her husband is deployed to Iraq. She is joined by her mother and kid’s grandmother, Alberta (Glenn Close), who led a tough life before finding religion. The family moves to a brand new home in Pennsylvania, where the youngsters turn into possessed by demons. With the assistance of Pastor Bernice James (Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor), Ebony must save her family from evil spirits and, in the method, save herself.

“When it was first introduced to me a long time ago, after ‘Precious,’ I didn’t want to do it because Ebony beat her kids,” Daniels explains. “I didn’t want to repeat that. I just didn’t want to do it about abuse. I didn’t want to do it because I really believe in being an open portal when I work. I didn’t want that (badness) on myself, but I realized that many, many years later, we’re in dark times.”

Lee Daniels attends the forty ninth Annual AFI Life Achievement Award Honoring Nicole Kidman on the Dolby Theatre on April 27, 2024 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for Warner Bros. Discovery)

“I’m here to scare you into your higher power,” he continues. “For me, it’s Jesus. For (others), it might be Allah or Buddha or whoever your higher power is. But to lead you to higher spirituality, because before this (film), I wasn’t in a place of (a) spiritualist.”

To guard against evil spirits, Daniels says he prayed day by day with the forged and crew before filming began and had a pastor on set. The director was very specific about who he wanted within the production, and the shortlist included actress Mo’Nique, with whom Daniels had a 13-year feud.

The two women clashed in 2009 when Mo’Nique refused to advertise Daniels’ film “Precious,” wherein she starred. In 2022, Daniels apologized to Mo’Nique, who won an Oscar for her performance, ending their feud and paving the way in which for his or her 2023 movies “The Reading” and “The Deliverance.”

“(I learned) I had to forgive and show forgiveness. I had to apologize,” Daniels says. “And not just apologize, but apologize publicly. And not just apologize publicly, but say, ‘Hey girl, let’s do it again.’ But not just, ‘Let’s do it again,’ but let me dress you in something that’s the complete opposite of what you did (in ‘Precious’). I’ll dress you in Gucci and jewelry, even though social workers don’t make that kind of money. We’re going to have a good time.”

“Even talking about it now, I get emotional because it was a meeting with my sister that I can’t even talk about,” he adds. “It was cozy. I felt like I was going to say, ‘I’m never going to let this happen again.’”

Daniels and Mo’Nique’s reconciliation points to a different theme in “The Deliverance”: faith and celebrating black women. When Ebony first talks in regards to the supernatural happenings in her home, nobody believes her. Daniels wants viewers to learn through the film that they need to imagine black women once they speak out.

Featured Stories

“So often, black women are not believed. Look at Kamala Harris today, you know what I mean?” Daniels says. “It’s incredible. We don’t believe black women. And for me, it was about our women being believed. That was a really key part (of the film). I enjoy working with black women so much. They raised me. They protected me. My aunts protected me as a child. And so I celebrate them, their flaws, their beauty and their complications. I’m fascinated. For me, I was on the playground (on set).”

“The Deliverance” is now available to look at on Netflix.

This article was originally published on : thegrio.com
Continue Reading
Advertisement
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Film

Barack Obama reveals why daughter Malia gave up her surname to debut in her first movie

Published

on

By

Malia Obama, Barack Obama, Malia Obama film, The Heart, Celebrity Black children, theGrio.com

Malia Obama is carving her own path. When the previous first daughter made her short film debut on the Sundance Film Festival in January, she did so and not using a name.

While performing in “Pivot Podcast,” former President Barack Obama revealed that his now 26-year-old eldest daughter used a special name in the credits of her short film “The Heart,” which she wrote and directed with the assistance of Donald Glover.

According to her father, as an alternative of using Obama, she submitted the video under her first and middle names, Malia Ann.

“The challenge for us is to be able to help them at all,” Obama explained when asked how he encourages his daughters to follow their very own path.

“They are very sensitive about this. They are very stubborn about this,” he continued. “Malia, she makes movies, so she made her first movie. And, , I’m going to be a dad, I’m bragging slightly… her first movie was shown at Sundance and all these fancy film festivals, and she or he didn’t use Obama as director in the credits.

The former president told his daughter that no matter this omission, it could be inevitable that many viewers would know who she was, she said: “I want them to watch it for the first time and not have that association in any way.”

He added: “So I think our daughters are doing everything they can to not try to take advantage of that.”

Featured Stories

Malia’s 18-minute film tells the story of a son battling guilt after the death of his mother, debuted at Sundance to mixed reviews. Although some called her “nepo’s baby”, others noticed her skills and potential.

Obama made the revelation during a discussion with former NFL podcast stars Fred Taylor and Channing Crowder about how their children are coping with constructing their very own lives under the pressure of powerful parents.

The 63-year-old noted that his daughters’ aversion to visibility intensified during their time in the White House. He recalled having to negotiate at some level with the White House press to keep his daughters out of the narrative.

“They didn’t choose it, did they? Let’s let them grow up,” he said. “And to the press’s credit, they left them alone. Now, when they get older, something happens with the paparazzi and it drives them crazy, you know, because their attitude is, “We’re not looking for all that.” So they are grounded.”

This article was originally published on : thegrio.com
Continue Reading

Film

David Harris, who starred in the 1979 cult classic ‘Warriors,’ dies at 75

Published

on

By

David Harris, Cochise, The Warriors, David Harris dies, Black actors, Black hollywood, theGrio.com

Actor David Harris, best known for his role as “Cochise” in the 1979 cult classic “Warriors,” died Friday at the age of 75.

He died of cancer at his home in New York, said his daughter Davina Harris The New York Times..

“The Warriors,” based on Sol Yurick’s 1965 novel of the same title, tells the story of a New York gang accused of killing a rival gang leader. As a result, Cochise and his gang spend the film fighting rival gangs on a wild journey back home to Brooklyn. Harris’ character was known for her signature style, which included a turquoise necklace, red bandana, and feathers.

The Walter Hill-directed film wasn’t a critical favorite when it was released, however it has since held a very important place in American culture. The film has inspired countless other stories and filmmakers, including Chad Stahelski, director of “John Wick: Chapter 4,” People Magazine reported.

While “The Warriors” could have been Harris’ breakthrough film, his profession began in 1976 with the Emmy-nominated TV movie “Judge Horton and the Scottsboro Boys.” After “The Warriors,” he appeared in several other television roles and episodes, including “In the Heat of the Night,” “Hill Street Blues” and as Officer Simmons on “NYPD Blue.”

Featured Stories

Variation reported that the New York native discovered acting in school. He attended the city’s highly regarded High School of Performing Arts, where one in every of his English teachers suggested he try his hand at the theater department. “I fell in love with it,” he said in a 2022 interview “Claw’s Corner”. “I said, you know what, I think that’s my niche.”

Harris’ acting credits also include the BET revival of “The First Wives Club,” “Elementary,” “Law & Order: Special Ops” and more, though he even admitted that Cochise is his most recognizable role.

Variety also reported that in a 2019 interview Radio ADAMIHarris said, “We thought (‘Warriors’) was a short film that would pass and no one would talk about it anymore.”

“I’ve been to Hong Kong, I’ve been to the Philippines, I’ve been to Tokyo,” he continued. “I’ve made plenty of movies, but once I get off the plane, people say, ‘That’s the guy from ‘Warriors.’

According to Variety, in addition to his daughter, Harris is survived by his mother, Maude Marie Harris; his sister Jeannette C. Harris-Zwerin; brothers, Arthur A. Harris and Vincent J. Harris; and two grandchildren.

This article was originally published on : thegrio.com
Continue Reading

Film

Samuel L. Jackson świętował na benefisie filmowym MoMA w gronie najbliższej rodziny i przyjaciół

Published

on

By

Samuel L. Jackson, LaTanya Richardson Jackson, Museum of Modern Art, theGrio.com

NOWY JORK (AP) – W środę wieczorem Muzeum Sztuki Nowoczesnej było pełne przekleństw i śmiechu Samuela L. Jacksona rodzina i przyjaciele świętowali podczas corocznego benefisu filmowego bogatą karierę aktora i reżysera, pełną hitów kasowych, niezwykłych postaci i wybuchowych jednowierszówek.

Jackson, znany ze swoich niesławnych bomb F, trzymał się bardziej sentymentalnego przemówienia na benefisie, podczas gdy jego przyjaciele i rodzina uhonorowali go niektórymi z jego ulubionych wypowiedzi.

„Miałem szczęście grać różnorodne postacie, dzięki którym nauczyłem się czegoś nowego o ludzkich doświadczeniach z każdą z nich i zawsze noszę w sobie cząstkę tego, przechodząc dalej” – powiedział.

Mając 75 lat Jackson stworzył hollywoodzkie dziedzictwo, które rozciąga się na przestrzeni 40 lat. Od grania w pełnych akcji hitach kinowych jako Mace Windu w „Gwiezdnych Wojnach” czy Nick Fury w uniwersum Marvela po kultowe postacie Quentina Tarantino – obrzydliwego Julesa w „Pulp Fiction” i Ordella w „Django Unchained” – Jackson pokazał czas i czas po raz kolejny, że z każdą nową rolą może bez wysiłku się przemieniać. Jego wszechstronność sprawiła, że ​​stał się gwiazdą kina.

Ale karierę Jacksona definiuje nie tylko gra na ekranie w filmach i telewizji. Użyczył swoich filmowych talentów na Broadwayu, gdzie zagrał Martina Luthera Kinga Jr. w „Szczycie góry” i Doakera Charlesa w „Lekcji fortepianu”.

Pomiędzy klipami ze wspaniałej kariery Jacksona kameralna grupa rodziny i przyjaciół Jacksona, którzy wracali do czasów studiów w Morehouse, wyszła na scenę, aby go uczcić.

Jego żona LaTanya Richardson Jackson żartowała z benefisu, jak kwestionowała zdolności aktorskie Jacksona aż do momentu, gdy zobaczyła go w „Pulp Fiction”. Powiedziała, że ​​zanim zdecydował się na aktorstwo, Jackson kształcił się na biologa morskiego.

„Przewijając szybko, zobaczyłam Pulp Fiction, usiadłam w kinie i zaczęłam płakać” – powiedziała. Powiedziałam, że moje życie się skończyło, on będzie gwiazdą filmową.

Aktor Denzel Washington po raz pierwszy współpracował z Jacksonem w 1979 roku i od tego czasu minęło 45 lat przyjaźni z aktorem. Niedawno wyprodukował dla serwisu Netflix adaptację „Lekcji fortepianu” Augusta Wilsona, w której występuje jego wieloletni przyjaciel. Podczas wydarzenia Washington powiedział, że pamięta, jak uczył się od Jacksona występującego na scenie i obserwował jego występy na scenie w roli głównej w przedstawieniu, gdy był kiedyś dublerem.

Polecane historie

„Chciałbym być w połowie takim aktorem charakterystycznym jak on” – powiedział Washington.

Filmowiec Spike Lee po raz pierwszy zobaczył Jacksona grającego z żoną na ich dawnym kampusie uniwersyteckim. Od czasów studenckich Lee obsadzał Jacksona w filmach „Gorączka w dżungli”, „Rób, co należy” i „Chi-Raq”.

„Byłem pod wrażeniem ich talentu” – powiedział o Jacksonie i Richardsonie Jacksonach. „Wiedziałem, że jeśli Bóg pozwoli, jeśli zostanę filmowcem, w moich filmach wystąpią ci wielcy artyści”.

Aktorka Brie Larson i reżyser George Lucas wysłali wiadomości wideo, w których chwalili niesamowity katalog Jacksona i jego pełną miłości osobowość. Wśród innych mówców wieczoru, którzy podzielili się miłymi słowami i kilkoma bombami F dla Jacksona, byli zdobywca nagrody Tony, reżyser Kenny Leon i aktor Walton Goggins.

Jako najnowszy laureat nagrody filmowej MoMA, Jackson dołącza do dotychczasowych laureatów, w tym Martina Scorsese, Toma Hanksa, Julianne Moore, Cate Blanchett i Quentina Tarantino. W ramach 16. corocznej akcji nowojorskiego muzeum, organizowanej we współpracy z Chanel, zbierane są pieniądze na konserwację i wprowadzanie filmów do kolekcji muzeum.

„Świętując dziś wieczorem film, pamiętajmy o mocy, jaką ma on do zmiany życia i zainspirowania przyszłych pokoleń, które skorzystają z przejęcia i zachowania przez MoMA filmów takich jak ten, który rozpalił marzenia małego czarnego dzieciaka siedzącego w wydzielonym kinie w Tennessee stoję teraz przed wami” – powiedział Jackson w swoim przemówieniu.

This article was originally published on : thegrio.com
Continue Reading
Advertisement

OUR NEWSLETTER

Subscribe Us To Receive Our Latest News Directly In Your Inbox!

We don’t spam! Read our privacy policy for more info.

Trending