Lee Daniels doesn’t care about the Academy’s whiteness, and he’s not seeking Oscar approval. The online fervor to make the Academy Awards more equitable through the hashtag #OscarsSoWhite hasn’t won his favor. “Oscars so white! So what? Do your work. Let your legacy speak and stop complaining, man,” Daniels told the New York Times, writing that the topic had him fuming over his breakfast. “These whiny people that think we’re owed something are incomprehensible and reprehensible to me. I don’t expect acknowledgment or acceptance from white America. I’m going to be me.” And part of being him was giving white America a cool white girl with his new show Star. “I wanted to show a white girl that had some swag,” he said. “I wanted white people to feel cool. I wanted them to not be made fun of.” Forget your trophies. Lee Daniels’s reward is the satisfaction of bringing the Caucasian cool factor to television.
