
Lee Daniels Muzzled – P 2013
Getty ImagesThis story first appeared in the Feb. 1 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine.
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.”