As the show opened giving us a panoramic view of George Lucas’ Skywalker Ranch, you can’t help but watch in awe. “This is the place that Star Wars built.” The 6,000 acre campus includes rolling hills, ponds, vineyards, an olive grove, an organic farm and buildings that pay homage to some of Lucas’ favorite architects…and most likely the only studio that includes horses, goats and hens. “I live in a world where being inspired is all we’ve got. It’s all about ideas. So I wanted to work in a place that was beautiful and inspiring.” Like a spiritual Disneyland, Skywalker Ranch serves as a nurturing space for all creative spirits.
Oprah opened the interview with a question on whether Lucas’ success was linked to his creative control. “My need for control is interlinked very much with my creative process. I cannot stand people to come over my head and say ‘no you can’t do this’.” As an artist, he felt that an outsider criticizing the vision before the project was finished was counter-productive. It would be difficult for any artist to work in that environment.
According to George Lucas, his first big hit, American Graffiti, was the last time someone said no to him. Understandably. With multiple Academy Award nominations and a Golden Globe for “Best Motion Picture”, I was shocked to learn the film was written in three weeks. Growing up in Modesto, California, George was a self-proclaimed “San Francisco underground world” artsy guy. Originally he believed he would become a documentary maker, but only after his dreams of being a racecar driver. However, a near-death accident changed his world….and ours.
With a father who didn’t see being an artist was a real job, I couldn’t imagine a world without Lucas’ work. Crushing his father’s dreams of George taking over the family stationary business, he went on to build his own. But as Oprah went on talking to George Lucas about the creation of Star Wars, my inner geeky girl surfaced quickly. As the creator of the most iconic series ever, Oprah couldn’t resist asking about Lucas’ visionary process. The master shared that the way to identify your passion is “When you sit down to do something at 7 o’clock in the morning, you get hungry and go get something to eat and realize its 7 o’clock at night. That’s your passion. That’s what you love. Find something around that, that you can make your career.”
In a huge “a-ha” moment, George Lucas revealed how he never got to experience Star Wars in the way that we all did. As the creator, it is a totally different experience . Not all things went easily in the filming, but most issues revolved around others not executing his vision. I believe the ultimate gift Lucas received in filming Star Wars was in learning that he needed to navigate his own ship. Trusting in others to make your visions come true will not always yield the desired artistic results. Something Oprah learned long ago. OWN yourself. What began as one film quickly turned into three. His ideas overflowed making it impossible to contain them within one film…leading to the beloved trilogy that we have all grown to admire.
When George Lucas’ partner, Mellody Hobson, joined the interview. we saw a whole new side to George. Now together for five years, they told us stories of how they met and their first unofficial dates. They seemed to have the perfect balance of energy….a good balance in their force. As a liberal relaxed father he admitted fatherhood taught him a lot about compassion and unconditional love. However, Mellody helped him to find his inner “black mother” with his kids. He may have millions and although he bought them cars as teens and even paid for their college, he made it clear to them that “I’m rich. You’re not.” In fact, he considered sending them to college as paying for them to do a job.
As many know, there is a spiritual essence to Star Wars so it didn’t surprise me when Oprah asked George whether or not he believed in God….and the answer was yes. The “force” was gathered by taking a primitive look at all religions and finding the common beliefs. Candidly telling Oprah that no one knows for sure if there is a God, he shared that it didn’t really matter. “We all carry God within us because we make it ourselves”. Pointing out that one doesn’t need to believe in God, he shared that he believes life would be lonely without him…for he serves as a partner in our travels in life calming our fears.
Many would argue that there is no greater visionary and pioneer in Hollywood than George Lucas. Knowing this, I was honestly shocked by what I heard in the final 15 minutes of the show. Despite telling us earlier that he hadn’t heard “No” in a long time, we learned he had heard it recently…over and over. Lucas’ newest film, “Red Tails”, had been 23 years in the making. Intrigued early on by the story of the Tuskegee Airmen, George was determined to tell the story. Unfortunately, the major studios rejected him. They weren’t interested in an African American film and believe the public wouldn’t be either. For them, films with African Americans aren’t economically viable. So when George put up nearly $100 million dollars of his own money, he was determined to prove Hollywood wrong. Doing everything from creating and marketing, he was once again a pioneer.
However the last thing we need is for Lucas to make this stand and no one go to see the film. PLEASE if you only see one film this year, make it “Red Tails”. This is about so much more than a film. Hollywood executives need to hear that films with African Americans are valued and matter. Earlier I posted a clip of Cuba Gooding Jr. and Terrance Howard talking about the importance of the film, but listen in as George Lucas talks about “Red Tails”.