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“Spike Lee encompasses what all great filmmakers possess - a watchful eye and a powerful voice.”
SL: You can’t dictate how people are going to perceive you. I think what’s been unfortu- nate is a lot of the film criticism that’s written about my films is to the detriment of the technicians and many fine actors that have done great work in my films. I think sometimes the screen critics instead of critiquing what’s on the screen, they critique what’s on the periphery, what’s outside in the black. They get caught up with who they think Spike Lee is or what he should be doing instead of really just concentrating on what’s on the screen. In the past that’s been unfortunate.
BG: You’ve been an actor in quite a few of your films, very interesting characterisations you’ve given yourself – you’ve been a glue sniffer, kind of semi sex addict, a little bit of a loser...
SL: Number One I don’t really consider myself an actor. Only reason I was in She’s Gotta Have
It is we couldn’t really afford to pay anybody to play the role of Mars Blackmon. When the movie came out, people kind of liked that character. That’s when the people at Nike’s agency saw that film and they got that deal to pair me with Michael Jordan for seven years when we did commercials. After that, except for Do The Right Thing, the roles have been very small, small enough that I don’t get in the way of the real actors.
BG: What is a black filmmak- er? Is there a sensibility, is there an eye, a look?
SL: I don’t know if you could say there’s a black aesthetic. I know that there are some people who might not agree with this but I do think that as an African- American you look at stuff with a different set of eyes because of the history. There are some African Americans who think they have escaped the whole thing
but something will happen to bring them back to earth – whether you can’t catch a cab or whatever. You will be remind- ed sooner or later that you are seen as a black person.
BG: You use the phrase ‘wake up’ in your films. Wake up to what? SL: ‘Wake up’ is not something
that is meant solely for African- Americans, it’s really for every- body. It’s to whatever’s happen- ing. To entertainment, especially today when it’s really like a nar- cotic – to put people in a coma. It’s really nothing to do with race.
BG: Is there such a thing as a ‘star’?
SL: A star has ‘It’ quality. It’s hard to qualify but it’s when there’s a whole lot of people on the screen and there’s only one person you’re looking at because they are dynamic. Stars aren’t necessarily great actors but I don’t think that’s the case with a lot of the people I’ve worked with. Denzel Washington is a star but he’s also a great, great actor.
BG: Tell us about your writing process...
SL: I get up early in the morn- ing and I write. I take off my hat to people who write for eight hours at a stretch. I don’t know how they do it. Two to three hours is all I can do and then I wait until the next day. A lot of the writing is about discipline so when I’m writing I won’t miss a day, I’ll continue to do those two
to three hours every morning until the script’s done.
BG: Demystification?
SL: I’ve always felt that one of the things that keeps people from approaching film is this whole supernatural, hocus pocus, magi- cal, mystical element that’s put around the process of film-mak- ing. Film-making is a craft that you have to learn like any other craft. So I always felt that if I did make it, part of my job should then be about the demystifica- tion of film. If you de-mystify it might seem more accessible to people and if it’s more accessible you’ll then get more diverse views on films that are made.
BG: What should children be taught about you 50 years from now? What would you like them to say?
SL: I think that the work has to speak for itself. It’s only recently that my children – my daughter is seven, my son’s five – saw a film of mine – Crooklyn. Other than that there’s nothing they can really see now until they get older. But they know their daddy is a filmmaker.
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