--- title: Lee Daniels Talks Hollywood Disruption at TIME 100 Summit description: Writer and director Lee Daniels talked about how he persevered through rejection and his concerns about a younger generation of filmmakers. canonical: https://time.com/5574173/lee-daniels-inclusivity-time-100-summit/ author: Andrew R. Chow article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2019-04-23T21:27:21.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-07-21T07:15:04.704Z article:section: Entertainment og:title: Lee Daniels: 'Just Because It's Black, Don't Mean It's Woke' og:description: Lee Daniels discussed his concerns about a younger generation of filmmakers og:url: https://time.com/5574173/lee-daniels-inclusivity-time-100-summit/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf3de4137029e3afa/698948e1929fad3cbbbf3185/n4a0981.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: Lee Daniels and Van Jones og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Lee Daniels: 'Just Because It's Black, Don't Mean It's Woke' twitter:description: Lee Daniels discussed his concerns about a younger generation of filmmakers twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf3de4137029e3afa/698948e1929fad3cbbbf3185/n4a0981.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Lee Daniels: 'Just Because It's Black, Don't Mean It's Woke' > Sponsored content. 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Terms and conditions apply. * Savings buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Savings Account. * No ATM fees from Ally Bank at Allpoint and Moneypass ATMs plus we reimburse for fees charged by other ATM owners nationwide up to $10 per statement cycle. * Early direct deposit offers eligible direct deposits up to two days sooner. * Spending buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Spending Account.  by [Andrew R. Chow](https://time.com/author/andrew-r-chow/)  ## Andrew R. Chow Correspondent Apr 23, 2019 9:27 PM UTC  Writer, producer and director Lee Daniels talks to CNN political commentator Van Jones about leading by disruption at the TIME 100 Summit in New York on April 23, 2019. Writer, producer and director Lee Daniels talks to CNN political commentator Van Jones about leading by disruption at the TIME 100 Summit in New York on April 23, 2019.Krisanne Johnson for TIME  by [Andrew R. Chow](https://time.com/author/andrew-r-chow/)  ## Andrew R. Chow Correspondent Apr 23, 2019 9:27 PM UTC [Lee Daniels](http://time.com/4558749/lee-daniels-influential-photo/) cautioned a younger generation of filmmakers about pushing too hard against Hollywood norms at the TIME 100 Summit in New York on Tuesday, saying, “I think we’re in danger territory right now.” In an interview with the CNN commentator Van Jones, Daniels, the creator of _Empire_ and the director of films like _The Butler_ and _Precious_, lamented the attitude shift between him and a younger wave of filmmakers. “Nowadays, the filmmaker of color says, ‘You know what? You’re going to give me $500 million dollars or I’m going to call you racist. You’re going to review that movie, New York _Times_, or I’m going to call you racist. And you are going to take me to the Academy Awards or I’m going to call you racist,'” he said. “What becomes more important? The messenger or the message? Where is art in this place?” “I’m a little concerned, because a lot of it is not good,” he said, referring to recent works in television and film. “Just because it’s black don’t mean it’s woke.” Daniels did not dispute that creators of color face discrimination in Hollywood. He said that when he was a rising filmmaker making movies like _Monster’s Ball_ and _The Woodsman_, he was routinely ignored and underestimated: “Every studio kept passing. No one in Hollywood wanted to see a movie about a little fat kid that died at the end and an interracial love story.” But Daniels said that he persevered not by protesting but by focusing on his craft. “A hashtag or an Instagram—that was not my weapon. My weapon was the work.” He said that his difficult childhood and the hardship he experienced as a gay black man during the AIDS crisis also contributed to his resilience. “When you are young and see your friends shot and die in front of you, when you’ve been to over 200 funerals, when you’re bullied because you’re black and gay, there’s a shield that you put up that’s impenetrable,” he said. “You don’t take no for an answer.” Daniels recently stepped into the theater world by producing _Ain’t No Mo’_, which is currently running at the Public Theater in New York; He called it “the most breathtaking thing that I’ve seen, ever.” And he said that he is also producing a gay superhero film called _Superbitch_. “He does backflips and has a cape and does karate,” he said of the new character. “He’s going to be a hero.” ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5574173/lee-daniels-inclusivity-time-100-summit/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5574173/lee-daniels-inclusivity-time-100-summit/"},"headline":"Lee Daniels: 'Just Because It's Black, Don't Mean It's Woke'","datePublished":"2019-04-23T21:27:21.000Z","dateModified":"2026-07-21T07:15:04.704Z","description":"Daniels talked about how he persevered through rejection and his concerns about a younger generation of filmmakers.","url":"https://time.com/5574173/lee-daniels-inclusivity-time-100-summit/","keywords":["TIME 100","2019 TIME 100","t100summit"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf3de4137029e3afa/698948e1929fad3cbbbf3185/n4a0981.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Andrew R. 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