Lee Daniels speaks poorly of his experience working onEmpire.Empirewas a drama show that ran across six seasons from 2015 to 2020, telling the story of a hip-hop mogul who has to choose between his three sons when he has to pick the successor for his multi-million dollar company.Daniels co-created the showalongside Danny Strong. He is also known for his work on films such asPrecious,The Butler,andThe Deliverance, which just arrived on Neflix.
Speaking withThe Film Stage, Daniels reflects on his time working onEmpire. According to the co-creator,Empirewas “absolutely the worst experience.“Daniels went on to explain that he had mostly worked in the independent sector up until his time onEmpire, but wanted to see what working on a major network show was like. To his dismay, Daniels discovered that it was “horrible.” He did admit, though, thatEmpiremade him a lot of money, which enabled him to “put [his] kids through college.” Check out the full quote from Daniels below:
I don’t like staying in the same lane just as a creative. When I got into television, I really just wanted to be able to answer to suits. I wanted to know what that experience was like. All of my friends, they get notes and sh*t. And I’m like, ‘What is that like?!’ You know what I mean?
All of my sh*t is independent. You know, my first movie was developed with drug money. ‘Monster’s Ball.’ We won the first Black woman an Oscar. Every one of my films has been independently financed where I’m able to…do my thing and nobody is in my head. There’s so many filmmakers and writers that I respect that have to answer to people. So I only did ‘Empire’ just so I could see what that experience was like.
Horrible. Absolutely the worst experience. Horrible! But guess what? Fcking that money, money, money! I was able to put my kids through college and sht. So that in itself was worth it.
Lee Daniels Was Not The Only Unhappy Empire Creative
A Cancelled Spinoff Caused One Star’s Outrage
It is a shame to hear that Daniels had such a negative experience working onEmpire, because the show itself was quite acclaimed.Empirereceived positive reviews, getting an 84% Tomatometer overall. The series was also nominated for multiple Emmys, including for Contemporary Costumes, Original Music, and Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for Taraji P. Henson’s role as Cookie Lyon. Henson also won a Golden Globe for herEmpirerole in 2016.
Another frustration related to the show may also come from the fact that Empire never got a proper finale, as its production was shut down during the COVID-19 pandemic.
That said, Daniels isnot the onlyEmpirecreative to come out unhappyfollowing the production of the show. AfterEmpirefinished, Fox had announced the creation of a spinoff series based on thepopular character Cookie. According to Henson, those behind the series “didn’t get it right,” and the series was canceled, which led to her firing her entire team. Henson spoke about this unfortunate happening in an interview late last year, seeming dismayed by the whole process.
With Daniels and Henson’s experiences during and afterEmpire, it seems like the behind-the-scenes narrative relating to the show was not nearly as glamorous as what was often portrayed on screen. Another frustration related to the show may also come from the fact thatEmpirenever got a proper finale, as its production was shut down during the COVID-19 pandemic. These grievances make any chances to revive anEmpirespinoff seem more unlikely, as the production of the show has unfortunately left a bad taste in a number of mouths.
Empire
Cast
Empire is a musical drama series that follows a father who acts as the CEO of Empire Entertainment, a major hip-hop record label, and his family. When Lucious Lyon discovers he is diagnosed with ALS, he realizes his time is short, and he must find a successor to his empire. Forcing his three sons to compete with one another to earn the right, what follows is a vicious journey of power and control - only complicated further by his ex-wife’s entry into the fray.
