Lee Daniels Discusses His The Racial Tension In ‘Star’
Daytime talk show, The Real welcomed acclaimed producer and director Lee Daniels to their couch Tuesday (Dec. 6), where they discussed his forthcoming show on Fox, Star. There, Daniels clarified exactly why he decided to cast a white woman as the lead.
READ: Benjamin Bratt & Queen Latifah Tackle The Music Industry In ‘Empire’ Follow-Up
Star is a new drama series that focuses on three talented, female singers who band together to form a girl group. In addition to employing a black and a mixed-race woman, Daniels cast Jude Demorest as the protagonist named Star Davis. Although Daniels was hesitant to label her as the “lead,” he noted that the casting was a conscious decision in order to comment on America’s current racial tensions.
“In the beginning, [the story] is told through a white girl’s perspective because I felt that the country instinctively, I thought needed to heal,” Daniels stated. “And I think that this white girl is so fabulous that black people will embrace her and white people will embrace her.”
Daniels also spoke on how the series will address other current events and politics. “I wanted to explore politics, as I do with most of my work, what’s going on right now in America,” he said. “So we explore the excitement and the glamor of the evolution of a group weaved in with a little bit of what’s happening now in the streets.”
READ: Lee Daniels To Direct New Documentary On Legacy Of The Apollo Theater
While Empire, Daniels other Fox series, focuses more or less on success, Daniels says Star will be sort of like the 1970s show, Good Times. The series will also feature Queen Latifah, Tyrese, Benjamin Bratt, and Naomi Campbell, with guest appearances from Terrance Howard and Lenny Kravitz. Star will premiere on Fox on Dec. 14.
