Spike Lee recalls feeling 'depressed' amid Malcolm X production
Spike Lee felt "depressed" while making 'Malcolm X'.
The 68-year-old filmmaker helmed the 1992 biographical drama film about the African-American activist - but Spike was left "broke" after spending "half [his] salary" on the project.
The director - who bickered with the movie studio over the budget and running time of the film - told The Hollywood Reporter: "That movie almost killed me when Warner Bros. let the bond company take over the film in post-production and shut it down.
"That's probably the most I've been depressed in my life with the exception of my mother dying. Half my salary went into the movie. I was broke."
Spike viewed the movie - which starred Denzel Washington in the title role - as a passion project. And the filmmaker eventually approached some of his showbiz pals in a bid to finance the movie.
He said: "The most important book I ever read was 'The Autobiography of Malcolm X' as told to Alex Haley in junior high school. I read that book every year.
"Once I got the gig to do that film, I said, 'I have to be a student of Malcolm.' I just kept thinking about him. And it hit me like a ton of bricks: I know some African Americans who've got some money. I made a list and I got the money.
"Peggy Cooper Cafritz, who was an entrepreneur in D.C.; Tracy Chapman; Janet Jackson; Bill Cosby - he was the first person I went to. Prince. And every time I was going to somebody, I was asking for more money. Oprah Winfrey.
"The last two people on my list were Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan. And knowing how competitive those two brothers are, I let it slip to my Brooklyn brother, Michael Jordan, how much Magic gave. Michael Jordan said, 'OK, I got you.' Boom. And with that money I was able to rehire the crew.
"We had a press conference in Harlem to let the world know these prominent African Americans gave gifts, no strings attached, so I could finish this film. The next day, Warner Bros. took the film back from the bond company and started to finance it again."
'Malcolm X' was nominated for two Oscars and is still widely regarded as one of the most impactful movies of its generation.
However, Spike doubts whether the film could even be made in 2025.
The director - whose other film credits include 'She's Gotta Have It', 'Do the Right Thing' and 'BlacKkKlansman' - said: "I'm not naming names, but it is not an exaggeration to say that ['Malcolm X'] cannot be made today with where we are in this world."
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