Director Lee Daniels: 'Thank God I didn't kill myself'

theGRIO REPORT - During a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, The Butler director Lee Daniels said he often thought about killing himself while growing up.

carrieheals

Dec 30, 2013

During a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, The Butler director Lee Daniels said he often thought about killing himself while growing up.

“I had a rough childhood growing up — very rough,” Daniels told THR’s Scott Feinberg. “Oftentimes I wanted to kill myself as a kid. You know, I was bullied because I was gay. And then I was bullied because I was black going to an all-white school later on.”

“Thank God I didn’t kill myself, huh?” Daniels continued. “I think that the universe took care and God took care of me. I am the product of that environment.”

The director once owned a nursing agency that provided nurses to AIDS patients, but explained that theater was always in the “backdrop” as his first passion.

Daniels’ latest success, The Butler, was hailed as one of this year’s summer blockbusters. The film starring Oprah Winfrey and Forest Whitaker grossed over $100 million.

The Weinstein Co.’s film managed to rack up three Screen Actors Guild award nominations, but didn’t receive any recognition from the Hollywood Foreign Press, being shut out of the Golden Globe nominations.

As award season continues, we will see if The Butler receives an Oscar nod.

Follow Carrie Healey on Twitter @CarrieHeals.