Lee Daniels Feels 'Muzzled' by 'The Butler's' PG-13

This story first appeared in the Feb. 1 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine.

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Director Lee Daniels is not having an easy time making his first PG-13 film.

“It’s very un-Precious and un-Paperboy,” he confides of The Butler, about a White House staffer (Forest Whitaker) employed through eight presidential administrations.

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“I can’t go into my bag of tricks on this one: no urination, no baby falling down the stairs, no cursing at all. We only have one ‘f---,’ which Lyndon Johnson gets. I felt like I directed the film in handcuffs and a muzzle.”