You've used the biopic in "Malcolm X", docu-drama in "Get On The Bus", and now satire in "Bamboozled", all to represent the race issue. Is satire the most effective method of dramatising this?
I wouldn't say that. All those films you named are different films for which we chose three different approaches.
"Bamboozled" is not just a satire on the TV world, though, is it?
Television is the starting point. It's effect on the audience, that's what it's really about. For me, in the film, when the blacks in the audience laugh at the new Black and White Minstrel show, that's a demonstration of the power of television. It can make you enjoy a misrepresentation of your own self.
Have you ever had the experiences shown in the film in your dealings with the entertainment industry?
I've had white executives tell me that they know black people better than I do. I laughed.
It's also a reworking of the Faust story.
Yes. Also, Dr Frankenstein. He created a monster. That was definitely in my mind when I was writing the script.
Damon Wayans' Pierre sides with Michael Rapaport's TV executive - why?
He gets swept up, caught up in the wealth, the spotlight, the fame. That's not a black or white thing. Everyone can succumb to that.
Have you?
I've always had a strong sense of identity, so that did not affect me in the way it could. I really don't concern myself with what other people are doing. I'm concerned about myself, my vision, and my body of work.
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