Spike Lee sat down with Oprah on Next Chapter to discuss his upbringing, being an ‘instigator’ and his public feud with fellow director Tyler Perry.
Known for classic black cinema like Do The Right Thing and Mo Betta Blues Lee has made it a point to push limits and develop a distinct filming syle. He shares that the status quo is “boring” and he feels that he has to speak on it, “Somebody’s got to do it,” he told Oprah.
However, Lee flipped the script when he declared his love for Tyler Perry.
Back in 2009 Lee went on record to say, “I think theres a lot of stuff out today that is coonery and buffoonery. I see ads for ‘Meet the Browns’ and ‘House of Payne’ and I’m scratching my head. the image is troubling and it harkens back to Amos ‘n’ Andy.”
Lee mentions that after a visit to Tyler’s home the two seemed to have come to an understanding. “No we’re cool, we’re mad cool now,” says Lee. “He’s trying to make it that our differences are based on a social, economic level. He’s trying to say it’s because he’s from the South and I’m from the North.”
Spike Lee’s new film OldBoy is set to hit theaters November 27th.