This Oscar nominated director and producer really doesn’t seem to be hip with #OscarsSoWhite! In a recent interview with The New York Times Lee Daniels was asked about the movement, he had some harsh words.

The director and producer of TVs Empire, spoke with New York Times to discuss his new musically-themed TV show, Star. He has come under some fire for choosing a white woman for the lead role. In response to that he told the paper that the country “needed to heal” and he wanted to cast a white girl who was so fabulous that both white and black audiences loved her. You could ask, why not do the same with a black girl! Of course not every show needs to be led by anyone in particular, if she is right for the job then we’ll wait and see how the show goes.

However, his comments regarding #OscarsSoWhite were quite controversial. As a black gay man he has surely faced some problems in Hollywood, getting out there. BUT he said:

“Go out and do the work,” Daniels told the Times. “Oscars so white! So what? Do your work. Let your legacy speak and stop complaining, man. Are we really in this for the awards?”

“If I had thought that way — that the world was against me — I wouldn’t be here now,”

“These whiny people that think we’re owed something are incomprehensible and reprehensible to me. I don’t expect acknowledgment or acceptance from white America. I’m going to be me.”

Mic.com spoke to April Reign, creator of #OscarsSoWhite, about Daniel’s comments. She told them:

“#OscarsSoWhite is not about a statue but the lack of opportunities for those from marginalized communities,” she said. “The underlying issue begins on the writer’s page and permeates the process through the distribution of the finished product.”

What do you think of all this?

Read more on Mic.