Filmmaker Lee Daniels Tackles Demonic Possession in 'The Deliverance' with Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor

remember before we get started whatever it says to   you do not listen to it it will play  on your heart it will play on your   mind my name is Apostle Bernice James the  other person present is Evy Jackson the mother father we ask that you  cleanse and sanctify us for this Deliverance Ebony get back Anu this is an amazing performance  and we get to see you preaching and she's   so fiery and persuasive and powerful  and we think yeah she might be able   to do it then at the exorcisms her  demeanor changes completely um and I   want I want you to tell me was it  a way of coping with the subject matter uh um you mean in um in terms of like how  I was able like just kind of getting through the   getting through the work of it yeah in both  regards if you wouldn't mind yeah you know I I   I had a I had an incredible uh teacher in Apostle  Lewis Dickens um and he so thoroughly prepared me   for for playing this playing this role um um I you  know this is a different tradition you know and he   he practices the the Deliverance um tradition and  he has done it mainly in Western Africa um and so   he was trying to pour into me his his practice  uh and he did the best he could and um he was so   thorough with with with what he what he tried to  to teach me so I had a great I had a great deal   of preparation and then you know what for me I  brought to it is just a great tremendous amount of   respect for my own experience with with going to  church you know and we didn't cast out demons in   my Baptist background but we definitely definitely  believed in the Holy Ghost and the Holy Spirit   and the transformative power of that so I just  tried to you know honor that as much as I could could if you believe you shall be saved you did such a great job it was incredible  oh thank and I mean I can still I still look to   her looking down at the children with that calm  demeanor that I guess forced I don't know um   and thinking she is someone to look up to um how  how were the children protected in this did they   understand what was happening the actors actors uh  yeah I I think so I didn't you know I I know that   um that we I tried to and I know Andrew was did  an incredible job at at you know um putting her   arms around them and and and and of course they're  in a situation where they are in Peril but they   shouldn't feel that way as children you know so  um um I I know she did and I tried to do as much   as I could to make them feel like yeah you you are  being chased by demons but only when the camera's rolling that's great and I was saying it reminds  you know thinking back to The Exorcist and how   that affected people um and what made it such  a great film and this one because I really like   it is that they do respect what happens they do  respect people's beliefs and and the idea that   there may be such a thing as demonic possession  um and that makes all the difference because   exploitation doesn't work no you know it doesn't  it doesn't yeah so now um do you you're obviously   too young to remember when The Exorcist came out  but I think think there'll be a lot of attention   paid to to Deliverance because these are things  that we don't talk about but some people might   need to talk about it and learn how do you see it  well you know I I feel that um you know today I   I I I told a reporter earlier journalist earlier  that I was having a mommy day today you know and   um my mother my mother visits me um she left a  few years ago but she visits me and I'll do the   the craziest the most mundane thing and I and  I'll have this presence overcome me and I know   it's my mother I know that and I know that and  I just get I get feel I get filled with that and   I think that you know that's in in in the western  tradition we we sort of reject those ideas but in   other Traditions they embrace them and I I think  the embracing of that embracing um our grief as   something that we live with and and reidentifying  it as not as something that's sad but just as   something that we live with the people who have  left us they still live with us and so I have   that connection to that spirit world in that way  and I'm I'm thankful for it wow that is amazing um   you know and it's not it's more W widespread than  I thought I I'm Anglican in Canada and uh I asked   my Minister about it a few years ago oh yeah we do  that but you know obviously no details but it is   it's more widespread than we think and I wonder if  people don't talk about these things due to shame   or being thought of as uneducated or something  and that's why I think it's important for a film   to be out that tackles it in a way if you could  comment yeah I think so and I think tackles it in   a way that this film does that it's not it's not  just it's not just the the sensationalism of it   right it's not just you know scaring people but  you you live with you live with this family you   see you see the inner workings of it you see the  vulnerability of Ebony and how she is trying so   hard to save her family but can't because nobody  believes her you know and I think anybody can   relate to that you know whether it's a demon  coming or just you're going through your life   and then you and it's hard already and then some  crazy thing comes along and possesses your house   you know whatever that whatever that is you know  so I I I I love that the take on this is is goes   beyond the you know the demon Factor the scare  Factor the scare factor I yeah yeah exactly thank   you so much what a pleasure to speak to you you  too you too thank you for your time you shall be saved you shall be saved hi Lee hi an been  fantastic film I really enjoyed it I mean   enjoy that's a funny word to use but I  know when people say they enjoy it I go huh huh um you know I've always been drawn to  your films and it's because you really take   risks you know there was precious there's this  and other ones um do you ever feel like you just   want to make a like a soft shoe kind of dance  film well I was you have to take a risk I was   just thinking of doing my next film as a as a  romcom but that would be an even bigger risk   because I'm sure it would bite the bullet I I uh  but and then again I thought that this jumping   into the horror space would bite the bullet I  like to do things um fantastic you know I like   to do things that are um that challenge me and I  felt that um you know in this it's not really a   horror it's faith-based Thriller I think I think  with elements of horror but I think uh I I'd never   been in this space before and so I was doing  it to challenge my just my muscle I you know   just to see what that was like and also to throw  the dice up against the wall to see uh whether   or not some of this story resonates with the world  it's been a long time since we've had a film about   this subject matter on possession a long long  time uh through a film that's respectful of it   so you know I congratulate you on that as well um  now you're bringing a story to us that is based   on a real incident do people have a hard time  wrapping their head around that it was a real   incident that happened did you initially I did  which is the reason why I didn't want to do it   in the beginning um well I didn't want to do it  in the beginning first because I I just come when   it was offered to me it was offered to me when  I done precious and I didn't want to do a movie   about a woman beating a kid because I felt it  was a repeat and then my mother told me not to   do the film because she knew that it was about  possession and and she knows how I work I'm a   portal and um and uh and and I felt that you  know when that Portal's open you know negative   demons you know evil could come towards me but  then I realized we're in some dark times really   dark times right now and I felt like it's more  about finding the light and me finding my light   whether for me it's Jesus Christ but for others  it could be Buddha or or you know Allah or you   know or yourself what is your higher power because  we are in dark times I believe and uh we need to   find uh we need to find a light so I'm  scaring you I'm scaring you to find your light you shall be Sav but I mean that's you know you drive  people to Faith I mean that's that was   part of the message of it not that that's a  good way to do it to have possession but you   know you get the gist um how did you get  Glenn Close to where those outfits very difficultly uh she she uh it took her a second  to understand the world and once she understood   it you know that it was really about body  positivity and what the African-American   woman is like you know the potty positivity that  uh they have it was in it was like another world   for her and she uh she embraced it and uh and  I'm really grateful that she was able to uh to   to believe in me and jump off the cliff with me  with this character because I I've never seen   her like this I've never seen her like this  no no I was thinking at the time occasionally   Fatal Attraction Fatal Attraction yeah it doesn't  compute but it was really powerful and I think I   don't know but maybe it allowed her to be  more of the character I think so for sure   yeah can you tell me um the children uh how  did you protect them and how did you get them   to do the movements or how was that I was Mor  the little boy is is is uh is incredible this   is uh his first starring role and he was a  blessing he you know I I I produce a film I   produce a television show called Wonder Years that  he was in and he guest start in and I thought he'd   be incredible for this and uh and sure enough  he was I think it was the hardest role in the   film to do you know uh yeah I would yeah it  looks like it and uh and Caleb is is is one   of the most breathtaking young uh actors around  and Demi I saw her in um in the Will Smith film   about um the the William sisters she starred as  one of the William sisters and uh I I was blown   away by her they really poured themselves into  this I I was nervous you know there were some   things I was nervous with her about because she  they're all kids and I want to make sure that I'm   respectful of them and uh you knowa you can't  just so but uh it it worked out it worked out   magically well thank you so much and nice to see  you congratulations you too thank you very much [Music]