Lee Daniels Lightning Round

Lee Daniels may be the mind behind modern hits like Precious, Monster’s Ball, and the acclaimed television series Empire, but when asked to pick his favorite movie, he returns to a classic: Gone With the Wind. On this week’s bonus episode of Table for Two, the filmmaker and producer joins host Bruce Bozzi to discuss the choreographer who influenced him, the first thing he notices about someone, and why The Boys on the Rock is his favorite book.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
Hey, everybody, it's Bruce. Thanks for pulling up a share
for another bonus episode, Table for two. I recently sat
down for an amazing lunch with producer, director, and screenwriter
Lee Daniels. I'm so excited for you to hear our
entire conversation, but for now, I wanted to share our

(00:26):
lightning round with you, which was full of surprising and
insightful answers. I hope you enjoyed this little bonus, and
we'll be back next week with our full interview.

Speaker 2 (00:39):
Okay, so this is a quick, little fun quick ground.

Speaker 3 (00:42):
Yeah New York or LA New York.

Speaker 4 (00:49):
Nope, yeah, New York.

Speaker 2 (00:51):
I mean, I understand.

Speaker 4 (00:53):
I'm sorry. I can't answer that question because I love
them both, New York or LA.

Speaker 2 (00:59):
New York or LA, all right.

Speaker 3 (01:01):
I mean I think for me, my soul is New York.
I love having both in my life.

Speaker 2 (01:07):
I don't know, I think New York, Okay, New York,
Peetown or Fire Island, Fire Island, Boom. Favorite designer today.

Speaker 4 (01:17):
I think, I like I'm talking with Saint Laurent today,
me too, Are you right?

Speaker 2 (01:23):
Yes? Sexy as hell?

Speaker 3 (01:26):
That T shirt is SEXU.

Speaker 4 (01:27):
Well, you know what I'm doing right, Okay, what are
you doing? Yes, I am, I'm getting I'm just I
get it. I look at something and this is a
whole new thing for me. I'm looking at some I
got jeans. I look at something and I just say,
I'm getting a maid. And so what I do is
I just I take them to my tailor and I

(01:47):
get a maid. So I just I find some jeans
and beat up jeans and I get a made leather.

Speaker 2 (01:53):
Same thing, and you find the gene and then you design.

Speaker 4 (01:57):
The This is I find jeans and then I love this.

Speaker 2 (02:01):
Hought them up and make them. Those are very Wait,
turn around. Yeah, I see what you're saying, because look
at the legs.

Speaker 4 (02:08):
And then and then the same thing for these blouses.
Did you see what I was wearing at my premiere?
I designed that, you did? And you see my nipple?

Speaker 2 (02:15):
Yeah, it's like sheer right.

Speaker 4 (02:17):
Like it was. It was the weight loss that really
inspired me to do that.

Speaker 2 (02:21):
I mean, I'm okay, great, right, you want to show
the goods.

Speaker 4 (02:25):
But I so but I but I but I knock
off and I'm inspired by a saint around because what
I do is I'll see something from I'll see a
shirt or something a thin silk whatever, and then I'll
get a bunch of fabric and then I'll say, hey,
I'll take it to the tail and go fix it.

Speaker 2 (02:42):
I did.

Speaker 3 (02:42):
I went through a disco phase, the Tony Manero Saturday fever,
and I got all these pants and I went to
the tailor.

Speaker 4 (02:48):
Well you that's what you were at the at the
at the at the at the Oscar party.

Speaker 2 (02:51):
That's right and gorgeous.

Speaker 3 (02:55):
Okay, top bunk bed or bottom bunk bed. I mean,
you know, we're all like to sleep on the top
bunk or something. We sleep on the bottom bone.

Speaker 4 (03:08):
I think for forever it has been the top bunk.
But what I've learned, what I've learned, you know, being
single sometimes that you know, the bottom bunk ain't that bad?

Speaker 2 (03:21):
Baby?

Speaker 3 (03:23):
Mornings or nights your morning person, a night person.

Speaker 4 (03:28):
I used to be a night person and then I
became a morning person.

Speaker 2 (03:30):
You know what sex is like sex? Nighttime sexist for kids?

Speaker 4 (03:35):
I think so.

Speaker 2 (03:36):
I think so me too. I mean morning sex have
never been into it. I like in the afternoon person.
You know, it's just when everything seems to be alive. Anyway,
I digress.

Speaker 4 (03:51):
Favorite movie, My favorite movie is Gone with the winds.

Speaker 2 (03:58):
Wow.

Speaker 4 (03:59):
Interesting Why I love all the black characters in there.
I love them because they're there.

Speaker 5 (04:05):
They don't take no ship, they don't take any ship,
and there's and they're fat and and way it shows
an African American at that time, that is, you know,
that has to answer to people, but with an enormous
amount of dignity, with an enormous amount of dignity, and

(04:26):
not taking any ship.

Speaker 4 (04:28):
And you see the control that they really do have
over white people.

Speaker 3 (04:32):
It's true, that's interesting that you're you're right, But wasn't
that recently put on like the you can't like is it?

Speaker 4 (04:39):
I don't know. I'm probably gonna get canceled.

Speaker 2 (04:41):
No, I don't care.

Speaker 4 (04:43):
No. No.

Speaker 2 (04:44):
Most used curse war sadly fuck.

Speaker 4 (04:48):
And I don't really like saying it because when I
hear it, when I hear myself saying it, or when
I read it in print, I'm humiliated by it because
I think it's a I think it doesn't it doesn't
make me seem smart. But again, you know, I'm not cultured.
What do you want?

Speaker 2 (05:04):
You are culture? Biggest influence?

Speaker 4 (05:09):
I think my biggest influence is uh, Bob Fosse.

Speaker 3 (05:15):
You are a man that just says, I just learning.
Every time you say Bob Foster live.

Speaker 4 (05:20):
Look, I think that you know, he had a drug problem,
like I had a drug problem. He you know, he
you know, I choreographed early on and H and I
see the world the way he sees the world. And
I didn't think I was going to be around that long.
You know, I didn't think I was going to be
around that long. And I and I, yeah, I get it.

Speaker 2 (05:41):
The first thing you notice about someone, what.

Speaker 4 (05:44):
Kind of question is that?

Speaker 2 (05:45):
Well, like like someone walks into you see their hands?
Do you see their eyes? Do you look at you
know how they see posture? Posture?

Speaker 4 (05:54):
You have fabulous pasture.

Speaker 2 (05:55):
I do. Thank you. And favorite book, Boys on the Rock.

Speaker 5 (06:03):
Boys on the Rock.

Speaker 4 (06:03):
I forget who wrote it, but it's a great book.
It's about it. It's coming of age tea story about
a boy and his dog, a gay boy and his dog.
And he's a pathological liar. He says, oh, yeah, I
lied about that. And you're reading the book and you're thinking,
and four chapters and you go, oh, I lied about that.

Speaker 2 (06:22):
Wait, that's the cutest thing ever read Our Boys on
the Rock.

Speaker 3 (06:28):
Yeah, that's great, mister Daniels. Yes, sir, thank you so
much for joining me today. I adore you, I do
want you in my life.

Speaker 2 (06:38):
Friends, hang have a great day. Everyone. Thank you for
pulling up a chair.

Speaker 1 (06:51):
I love our lunches and never forget the romance of
a meal. If you enjoy the show, please tell a
friend and rate and view us on Apple Podcasts. Table
for two with Bruce Bozi is produced by iHeartRadio seven
to three seven Park and Airmail. Our executive producers are
Bruce Bosi and Nathan King. Our supervising producer is Dylan Fagan.

(07:14):
Our editors are Vincent to Johnny and Cas B. Bias.
Table for two is researched and written by Jack Sullivan.
Our sound engineers are Amil B. Klein, Jess Krainich, Evan Taylor,
and Jesse Funk. Our music supervisor is Randall Poster. Our
talent booking is done by Jane Sarkin. Table for two's
social media manager is Gracie Wiener. Special thanks to Amy Sugarman,

(07:38):
Uni Scherer, Kevin Yvane, Bobby Bauer, Alison Kanter Graber. For
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