'The Butler' Director: 'Thank God I Didn't Kill Myself'
The director of the hit movie "The Butler" told an entertainment publication that he thanked God that he did not commit suicide growing up.
Lee Daniels, whose film about a long-serving White House butler has garnered much success, told The Hollywood Reporter in a recent interview that his troubled background led him to consider suicide.
"You know, the universe has been kind to me. I had a rough childhood growing up – very rough. Oftentimes I wanted to kill myself as a kid. You know, I was bullied because I was gay. And then I was bullied because I was black going to an all-white school later on," said Daniels.
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"Thank God I didn't kill myself, huh? I think that the universe took care and God took care of me. I am the product of that environment."
When asked by the Hollywood Reporter as to whether he knew early on about his sexual orientation, Daniels responded that he did not.
"I didn't. Just like I didn't know that I wanted to direct. One doesn't know one's sexuality, you know? You discover it," said Daniels.
The interview with the Hollywood Reporter comes as Daniels continues to reap the success of his 2013 film "The Butler."
Released in August and starring Forest Whitaker, Oprah Winfrey, and John Cusack, the movie follows the life of White House butler Cecil Gaines. Serving under eight presidential administrations, Gaines saw many of the social upheavals the United States went through during the mid to late twentieth century.
The film grossed over $24 million in its opening weekend, which was nearly equal the entire budget of the production, and by December had passed the $118 million mark.
It has garnered several awards and nominations, including honors from the Hamptons International Film Festival, Hollywood Film Festival, and the Washington DC Area Film Critics Association Awards. The film also garnered its share of controversy as well, with some scholars taking issue with Daniels' portrayal of President Ronald Reagan.
In an Outlook column for The Washington Post, Reagan historians Steven F. Hayward, Paul Kengor, Craig Shirley and Kiron K. Skinner argued that Daniels' unfairly portrayed Reagan as insensitive about race issues.
"Films like 'The Butler' can be good opportunities for a healthy consideration of our troubled racial history, but not if they persist with inaccurate portrayals," wrote the scholars.
"Rather than advancing a flawed portrait of Reagan on race, perhaps 'The Butler' can start the process of getting Reagan right on race."
"The Butler" is also presently nominated for a People's Choice Award and multiple Screen Actors Guild Awards for next year.
