Lee Daniels didn鈥檛 want to touch the story of Billie Holiday. 鈥淟ady Sings the Blues鈥� already existed after all. The 1972 film with Diana Ross and Billy Dee Williams showed him Black romance and a Harlem like he鈥檇 never seen on screen before. It was the film that made him want to be a director.
But it wasn鈥檛 her full story. Holiday, he鈥檇 come to realize, was an unsung civil rights hero who was targeted by the U.S. government for her drug use and her protest song, 鈥淪trange Fruit.鈥� It鈥檚 this story that鈥檚 told in 鈥淭he United States vs. Billie Holiday,鈥� written by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Suzan-Lori Parks. The film debuts Friday on Hulu.
鈥淚 was like, where have I been for all these 59 years? How come I don鈥檛 know this story when I sort of know everybody鈥檚 story, or I thought I did, when it comes to Black history,鈥� Daniels said. 鈥淚t made me think about the many stories that aren鈥檛 told that we don鈥檛 know about. And so I had to tell the story.鈥�
He even called up legendary record producer Berry Gordy, who produced 鈥淟ady Sings the Blues,鈥� to get his blessing.
鈥淚 just wanted to do her right,鈥� Daniels said. 鈥淚 was so terrified.鈥�
Naturally the biggest challenge would be finding the right actor for Holiday. He didn鈥檛 know what he was looking for 鈥� should he go for a named actor? An unknown? A singer making her film debut, like Ross had 50 years ago?
At the suggestion of his manager, he met with Andra Day, who had been nominated for a Grammy but had never acted. It was something Day had been thinking about, but she figured before she did anything, she鈥檇 take a few years off and really learn the craft.
When she sat down with Daniels, Day told him, 鈥淚 don鈥檛 think I should do this.鈥�
Still, they formed a connection over Billie, who she鈥檇 loved since age 11, and the fact that they both thought this was a 鈥渢errible idea.鈥� Then Daniels saw a tape, filmed in secret by Day鈥檚 acting coach, of her transforming into Holiday, and he was sold. It had to be Day.
Making the film was a challenge, though. Daniels shot on film, which ate up a large part of the budget, and he wanted to make sure to depict her world and all its glamour, so all the money they could scrape together is 鈥渙n the screen.鈥�
鈥淭here鈥檚 a beauty of working in independent cinema because I don鈥檛 have to answer to anybody but the actors and my crew,鈥� Daniels said. "There鈥檚 no outside interference from suits who don鈥檛 know anything about our culture. It was great to just do us. Everything you see on that screen is us. It鈥檚 our soul.鈥�
Day was grateful that the start date kept getting pushed back. She had about a year and a half to prepare, which started confusing her mother when she鈥檇 drift into Billie-isms in real life.
鈥淢测
Getting into character turned out to be the least of her problems. Getting out of character was another story. It even alarmed Daniels.
鈥淚 get emotional talking about this girl because she鈥檚 getting ready to be mega famous after this,鈥� Daniels said. 鈥�(But) I was terrified for her as we were as we were coming to an end. One of the last things that we shot was her singing 鈥楢ll of Me鈥� and I said, it鈥檚 time for you to release Billie. You鈥檝e got to sing it as Andra now...She couldn鈥檛 do it, she could not leave Billie and she knew she let me down. So she started crying.鈥�
Day did not, in fact, let Daniels down and the tears made it into the final moments of film, but the next thing he did was to book a vacation for his lead to Tulum, Mexico. He split the cost with the production.
But Day was too attached. Even after she got back, she had trouble letting Billie go and would get excited to do additional shoots, which felt like 鈥減urpose again.鈥�
And the commitment is earning her awards buzz and a nomination at Sunday's Golden Globe Awards.
鈥淚t鈥檚 that Lee Daniels effect,鈥� she laughed. The Daniels-produced 鈥淢onster鈥檚 Ball鈥� got Halle Berry her Oscar and then 鈥淧recious,鈥� which he directed, got a nomination for Gabourey Sidibe and a win for Mo鈥橬ique.
Daniels is still a bit heartbroken that the film won鈥檛 be released widely in
鈥淲e had that incident that just changed America and everybody went to the streets and you couldn鈥檛 make that up,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e could have pushed it to next year. But I thought it was important to release it right now, given everything that was going down in America.鈥�
As for Day? Billie is still there in some ways.
鈥淚鈥檓 still trying to navigate it,鈥� Day said. 鈥淏ut I鈥檓 not out on a cliff anymore.鈥�
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Follow AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ldbahr
Lindsey Bahr, The Associated Press
