Jussie Smollett Reflects on Lee Daniels' Comments, Says He Loves Director

TMZ

Jussie Smollett's always cool with Lee Daniels ... saying he appreciates the director giving him his big break -- and, he'd rather keep their relationship private.

Transcript

00:00How has it been getting back into the workforce?

00:02Did you feel like people were going to judge you?

00:04Did you feel judged?

00:05I don't know.

00:06I mean, I certainly felt judged all these years,

00:08but I certainly don't feel judged for my creativity.

00:10I feel like that's one of the few things

00:12that I'm fully, fully confident in,

00:14and I'm very proud of this film,

00:16proud of Vivica's performance, all of our performances,

00:18so it's all good.

00:19How y'all doing?

00:20So it's been nice on the set.

00:22People haven't been weird.

00:23No, no, no, no.

00:24Everybody's been wonderful,

00:25and everybody that I work with, they know me.

00:27You know what I mean?

00:28Right, right, right.

00:29Right, that's okay.

00:30Yeah, it's fine.

00:31Daniel, pick it up.

00:32They know me, so they know my heart,

00:33they know my spirit.

00:34Right, right.

00:35Were there conversations that were had before?

00:37Like, listen, y'all, you know,

00:39we're going to be working together,

00:40or did you have to address anything,

00:42or was there no need to address anything?

00:44There were some people,

00:45like there were certain friends that,

00:46you know, just from myself,

00:47I'm sure I've addressed things, of course,

00:48but, you know, I mean, it's also, you know, again,

00:51I have a really amazing, amazing support system

00:53who know me, so it's all good.

00:55I love that for you.

00:56Okay, so now I'm going to ask you,

00:57Mr. Lee Daniels, you know, made some comments.

01:01Have you guys spoken since he, you know, was...

01:05I talk to Lee often, you know,

01:07but it's something that I love Lee very much,

01:09but it's, it's, I love him very much.

01:11I felt like Lee was acting like he ain't talk to you,

01:13but he did.

01:14I mean, no, no, I mean, here's the thing,

01:16it's like we, I don't talk about it, you know.

01:18Lee is somebody that I love.

01:19Give me an opportunity that I'll be grateful for.

01:21Right.

01:22It's a relationship that's really important to me,

01:24so I don't feel the need to, like,

01:26mediate that in public.

01:27I feel like it's a, it's a private...

01:29Right.

01:30He really is someone that it's a relationship

01:32that I'm really, it's important to me,

01:34so, you know, I'm, it's, it's cool.

01:36You know, Lee is also an open,

01:38a little bit more of an open book,

01:39so he'll say things, you know,

01:40but I love him so much, and he, he knows that.

01:42Right.

01:43And I know that he loves me.

01:44And you guys are good.

01:45We're, we're, we're always going to be good.

01:46And it's going to be with some working together going forward.

01:48I can't say, but what I do know is that...

01:50Oh, my God.

01:51I will always, I will always be good with that man.

01:53Like, he gave me an opportunity,

01:54and there's no going back from this.

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