>>> AND WELCOME BACK IN. ’S IN 1986 THE MOVIE "SHE’S GOT
TO THE HAVE IT" LAUNCHED SPIKE
LEE’S CAREER.
LEE’S CAREER. NOW HE’S BROUGHT IT BACK AT A
NETFLIX SERIES ENTERS SEASON
TWO.
TWO. >> IT FOLLOWS THE FIERCELY
INDEPENDENT NOLA DARLING AN
ARTIST LIVING IN BROOKLYN TRYING
TO DATE ON HER OWN TERMS.
SOMETIMES EVEN SHE NEEDS TO LEAN
ON FRIENDS TO GET THROUGH
HEARTBREAK.
HEARTBREAK. >> I KNOW YOU’RE AN ARTIST.
KIND OF BROKEN RIGHT NOW.
AND I’M REALLY SORRY ABOUT THAT.
BUT -- YOU SHOULD KNOW THIS.
YOU’RE SPECIAL.
YOU’RE SPECIAL. AND ANYONE WHO CAN’T SEE THAT,
THEY DON’T DESERVE YOU.
>> THANK YOU.
THAT MEANS A LOT.
I REALLY APPRECIATE THAT.
>> YEAH.
>> YEAH. IT’S ALL LOVE.
>> YOU’RE A GOOD FRIEND.
>> SPIKE LEE, CO-CREATOR --
>> CUT IT OFF AT THE RIGHT --
>> WE HAVE TO.
IT’S MORNING TELEVISION.
SPIKE LEE, OF COURSE, EXECUTIVE
PRODUCER, DIRECTOR, CREATOR.
DEWANDA WISE PLAYS NOLA DARLING.
A HECK OF A SERIES, BUT THERE’S
A LOT OF, A LOT OF NUDITY.
A LOT OF SEX.
>> THERE WASN’T AT FIRST, WHEN
THE FILM CAME OUT BACK IN 1986.
BUT THIS IS TONIGHT AT MIDNIGHT.
THE SEASON STREAMS.
SO IT’S MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND.
SO BINGE AND, BARBECUE AND
BINGE.
BINGE. >> FUNNY IS, YOU WEREN’T EVEN
BORN.
BORN. IF I’VE DONE MY MATH RIGHT, YOU
WEREN’T BORN WHEN SPIKE DROPPED
THIS IN ’86.
WERE YOU?
WERE YOU? >> NO.
>> NO. >> BUT FAMILIAR WITH IT.
>> I WAS.
>> I WAS. I MEAN, ONLY A COUPLE OF, LIKE,
BLACK CINEMATIC ICONS AND NOLE
LA DARLING IS PROBABLY TO BE
TWO.
TWO. KNOW WHAT I MEAN?
>> YES, I DO.
>> TO BRING SOMETHING BACK THAT
WAS IN THE ’80s.
HOW DO YOU MAKE IT NEW, FRESH
COMING INTO THE SECOND SEASON?
>> MY WIFE’S IDEA.
I HAD NEVER EVEN THOUGHT ABOUT
IT.
IT. SO WE JUST HAD TO -- MAKE IT
FRESH.
FRESH. >> YEAH?
>> YEAH? >> THE PEOPLE FORGET, THE FILM
WAS ONLY 86 MINUTES.
>> HMM.
>> HMM. >> THE FIRST SEASON WAS TEN
EPISODES
EPISODES EPISODES, WHICH WAS FIVE HALF
HOURS.
HOURS. IT GAVE US A BIGGER CANVAS TO
WORK WITH, AND ALSO I WROTE THE,
THE SCREENPLAY THAT WE HAD, A
GREAT INPUT OF, GREAT
AFRICAN-AMERICAN WRITERS,
AFRICAN-AMERICAN WRITERS, AFRICAN-AMERICAN WOMEN WRITERS
TO GET THAT IN THERE, TOO.
>> YEAH.
>> YEAH. >> IF I REMEMBER CORRECTLY, I
THINK YOU SAID THIS THE LAST
TIME YOU WERE THERE.
MAYBE THE TIME BEFORE.
YOU’RE NOT A BIG TV GUY.
YOU WATCH SPORTS.
YOU WATCH NEWS.
YOU DON’T EVEN WATCH A LOT OF
TELEVISION.
TELEVISION. SO HOW DOES A GUY WHO DOESN’T
WATCH A LOT OF TV -- DECIDE TO
DIRECT, LIKE, 20 EPISODES OF TV?
>> WELL, HERE’S THE THING,
THOUGH.
THOUGH. MY APPROACH, I’M NOT DOING
TELEVISION.
TELEVISION. I’M DOING FILM.
CINEMA.
CINEMA. AND, AGAIN, LIKE I SAID, IT WAS,
TIME IDEAL.
TIME IDEAL. NEVER THOUGHT ABOUT IT.
IT WAS MY WIFE’S IDEA.
SHE WATCHES TELLING VISEVISION.
TRY THIS.
TRY THIS. >> TOPICAL NOW.
YOUR CHARACTER IS GRAPPLING WITH
THE IDEA MAKING MONEY OFF ART.
>> RIGHT.
>> RIGHT. >> YOU ALSO DON’T WANT TO BE A
SELLOUT.
SELLOUT. ON INSTAGRAM, SO MANY PEOPLE,
THIS AND THAT -- I MEAN, VERY
RELATABLE.
RELATABLE. >> VERY RELATABLE AND
INTERESTING’S INITIALLY SEASON
TWO I WAS THINKING ABOUT THAT
AND WAS LIKE, ARE WE STILL
WORKING THROUGH THAT?
DO WE CARE ABOUT SELLING OUT,
THIS NOTION OF SELLING OUT?
BUT I DO.
BUT I DO. I THINK A LOT AS AN ARTIST WHAT
MY NAME IS ON, MY FACE IS ON.
AS YOU MOVE FORWARD, PEOPLE
START TO IDENTIFY AND, YOU KNOW,
IT MEANS SOMETHING.
AND YOU KIND OF HAVE TO HONOR
THE MEANING THAT PEOPLE PLACED
ON YOU.
ON YOU. YOU KNOW?
YOU KNOW? WHATEVER IT IS.
YOU KNOW?
YOU KNOW? FOR ME IT’S FREEDOM.
CONFIDENCE.
CONFIDENCE. AUTHENTICITY.
AUTHENTICITY. SO THEN IF I, LIKE, TURN AND DO
SOMETHING THAT’S NOT THAT, THEN
YOU LOSE A CERTAIN KIND OF,
LIKE, MINI REVOLUTION IN A
SENSE.
SENSE. >> DEWANDA, AWKWARD SINCE I JUST
MET YOUR MOTHER.
BUT --
BUT -- >> PROBABLY MY MOTHER --
>> THERE IS A LOT OF SEX IN THE
SERIES.
SERIES. >> UH-HUH, YES.
>> AND I UNDERSTAND THAT YOU GOT
CREATIVE CONTROL?
CREATIVE CONTROL? >> THAT IS CORRECT.
>> IF WE CAN SAY THAT.
>> NERVE-RACKING TO GET CREATIVE
CONTROL?
CONTROL? >> I LOVE IT.
I’M AN ARTIST.
WE MOOD BOARD.
>> WE MOOD BOARD, THE SEX
SCENES?
SCENES? >> ABSOLUTELY.
>> ABSOLUTELY. COME WITH A STORY BOARD.
SUBMIT A PDS.
THERE’S IMAGES.
THERE’S IMAGES. >> DOES YOUR MOM WATCH?
>> YES.
>> YES. MY MOTHER’S SEEN EVERY SINGLE
EPISODE.
EPISODE. MY MOTHER SAYS SHE’S THE
ORIGINAL NOLA DARLING.
>> WOW!
>> WOW! WOW!
WOW! >> LET ME THANK YOU.
>> WOW!
>> WOW! >> ON NATIONAL TELEVISION.
>> ON NATIONAL TELEVISION.
>> WHILE I HAVE YOU HERE, ROBERT
SMITH OVER THE WEEKEND.
>> YES.
>> YES. >> YOUR MOREHOUSE CLASS GRADE
GRADUATED IN ’79.
FORGIVES THE ENTIRE DEBT, $40
MILLION.
MILLION. YOU SAW IT, HEARD THAT.
>> I WAS IN VIETNAM, JUST CAME
BACK FROM DOING MY NEW FILM, BUT
I GOT THE WORD.
THE WORD THAT ROBERT S. SMITH
WHO IS THE WEALTHIEST
AFRICAN-AMERICAN EVER, AND HE
SIGNED THAT PACT WITH WARREN
BUFFETT, GIVE HALF OF YOUR --
AND HE WAS A COMMENCEMENT
SPEAKER AT MOREHOUSE, AND HE
SURPRISED EVERYBODY.
SURPRISED EVERYBODY. AND DURING THE COMMENCEMENT
SPEECH HE SAID, CLASS OF 2019 --
I’M PARAPHRASING, CLASS OF 2019,
I’M GOING TO PAY YOUR STUDENT
LOANS.
LOANS. SO WHEN YOU WALK, YOU LEAVE
MOREHOUSE --
MOREHOUSE -- >> INCREDIBLE.
>> INCREDIBLE. >> DEBT-FREE.
>> DEBT-FREE. COMES UP LIKE $40 MILLION.
>> SECOND SEASON OF "SHE’S GOT
TO HAVE IT" STREAMING, SPIKE