Director Lee Daniels could never have put together Precious’s creative team were they all not passionate fans of the book. Here’s what they had to say about Push, author Sapphire and the challenge of adapting.[rssbreak]
“This book changed my life. I read it two times immediately. The film’s fantasy sequences? You needed a little bit of something that would lift you up from the depths of what the audience was going through.”
MARIAH CAREY, actor
“I recognize myself in that character. I have seen the Precious girls of the world, and they have been invisible to me. Now, with this book and this film, none of us can allow the Preciouses to be invisible to us again.”
OPRAH WINFREY, executive producer
“I believe this is a perfect book. Though it takes departures, what was important for me was that the spirit remain intact. I fell in love with the character of Precious, and I want to thank Sapphire for that.”
GEOFFREY FLETCHER, screenwriter
“When this book was published, it crawled under our skin. Everyone who reads this book believes there’s a little bit of a Precious in all of us.”
LISA CORTES, executive producer
“Mariah came with zero ego – no posse
. Mo’nique was feeding people at craft services. Lenny Kravitz helped with costumes. It was a team effort, and it shows their respect for Sapphire’s material.”
LEE DANIELS, director
“Being a fan of the book, I really wanted to get it right. I hate it when adaptations get it wrong. I knew the book has a huge following and I didn’t want to hear, ‘The book was better, the movie’s trash.’?”
GABOURY SIDIBE, actor
