Lee Daniels On 'The Butler': 'No Urination, No Cursing'

'Paperboy' Director On Next Film: 'No Urination'
NEW YORK - OCTOBER 03: Producer Lee Daniels attends the Nicole Kidman Gala Tribute during the 50th annual New York Film Festival at Lincoln Center on October 3, 2012 in New York City. (Photo by Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images)
NEW YORK - OCTOBER 03: Producer Lee Daniels attends the Nicole Kidman Gala Tribute during the 50th annual New York Film Festival at Lincoln Center on October 3, 2012 in New York City. (Photo by Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images)

Lee Daniels' "The Paperboy" is perhaps better known as the movie where Nicole Kidman pees on Zac Efron. (He gets stung by a jellyfish, so obviously.) According to Daniels, however, those expecting similar water sports in his next feature, "The Butler," are in for a rude awakening.

"I can't go into my bag of tricks on this one," Daniels told THR. "No urination, no baby falling down the stairs, no cursing at all. We only have one 'f--k,' which Lyndon Johnson gets. I felt like I directed the film in handcuffs and a muzzle."

Set for release by The Weinstein Company, "The Butler" is a prestige film if there ever was one. It tells the story of Eugene Allen (played by Forest Whitaker), a African-American butler who worked in the White House for over three decades, serving eight presidents. Oprah Winfrey stars as Eugene's wife, with Lenny Kravitz, Jane Fonda, Alan Rickman, Robin Williams and John Cusack, among many others, on the call sheet as well. (Liev Schreiber plays the apparently foul-mouthed Lyndon Johnson.)

If Daniels' comments to THR sound familiar, that's because he made similar ones to Huffington Post last year.

"I tell my crew, 'Don't put on your seat belts; we are only at Disneyland,'" Daniels told blogger Isoul Harris. "['The Butler' is] PG-13; it's my first. It's a challenge for me. I felt that I was handcuffed and muzzled. There is no sex, no cursing, but it is important to show the other side of me and that I can do other things."

For more on "The Butler," head over to THR. Look for the film in theaters later this year.

[via THR]

Lee Daniels

African-American Filmmakers

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