Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on February 2014

The sleeper hit The Butler chronicles the American civil rights movement through the lens of one African-American family from the ‘40s up through Obama’s historic first election.The casual, hands-on approach of director Lee Daniels, who always wears pajamas to the set (and interviews), meant the cast and crew were like family, despite this being his biggest project to date. “On my films everyone rolls up their sleeves and works,” Daniels told Metropolis during his first visit to Japan. “And you’ll see big stars standing in line to get lunch with people from the craft services department.” The “no entourage” rule even applied to one of the most powerful people in the entertainment world—Oprah Winfrey took her first major screen role in 15 years to play the wife of the titular servant (Forest Whitaker) who saw eight presidents pass through the White House. “She shows up and is like ‘I’m here!’” Daniels explains, singing the line. “I thought, ‘How am I going to make her this character?’ But I like a challenge and gradually we peeled away the layers of the onion and got her to a place where she was vulnerable and ready for the role.” The Butler is now playing nationwide.