Lee Daniels: director/producer aims for a knockout with Shadowboxer

Tought-provoking and celebrated filmmaker Lee Daniels, who rose to fame after producing the much-talked-about movie Monster-s Ball, has taken up the charge of creating roles for African-American actors and actresses. "I can't afford to wait to let someone else create strong and unique roles, particularly for African-American actors," Daniels says. "I'm here to change the face of cinema"

So it should come as no surprise that his latest box-office entry is edgy and provocative. The film, Shadowboxer, which marks Daniels' directorial debut, is the story of an assassin, Mickey, played by Cuba Gooding Jr., whose partner Rose, played by Helen Mirren, is also his lover. When Rose is diagnosed with terminal cancer, she decides to carry out one final hit, assisted by Mickey, who not only is her lover, but her stepson. The plot raises eyebrows, and Daniels hopes it will be enough to attract viewers to theaters. Besides Gooding and Mirren, the film stars Mo'Nique, Vanessa Ferlito, Stephen Dorff and Macy Gray.

Shadowboxer, written by the Academy Award-nominee Will Rokos (Monster's Ball), comes on the heels of a prior, controversial film for Daniels, The Woodsman, which is the story of a man just released from prison after serving 12 years for molesting young girls. Daniels, whose filmmaking style has often been compared to that of Woody Allen and Quentin Tarantino, produced the film with the intent of pushing the envelope. "I've realized that I have a responsibility to create films that push the boundaries," Daniels says.

Before becoming a filmmaker, Daniels worked as a music video casting director for Prince, and he continued his work with the artist as associate casting director for the films Under the Cherry Moon and Purple Rain. He made his way to Hollywood after a chance meeting with a producer, who recognized Daniels' business acumen and artistic savvy.

That discovery was one of a series of big breaks for a young man who came up the hard way. A native of Philadelphia, Daniels was 13 years old when his father, a police officer, was killed in the line of duty, leaving his mother alone to raise five school-age children in the inner city of West Philadelphia. After college, he moved to Los Angeles, open-ed a health care agency and became one of the first to enter a contract with the renowned AIDS Project Los Angeles. The agency also held contracts with such major organizations as the American Heart & Lung Association and the American Sickle Cell Anemia Association.

After only one year, the initial employee roster grew from five nurses to more than 500. In just two years, Daniels sold a significantly profitable business that grossed several million dollars. Later, Daniels headed to Hollywood, where he is not shadowboxing; he's in the middle of the fight for his for piece of the movie industry.

COPYRIGHT 2006 Johnson Publishing Co.
COPYRIGHT 2008 Gale, Cengage Learning