Danny Strong has struck gold in his writing career thanks to the Fox television hit, Empire. Strong recently revealed that he was inspired by a Shakespeare play and Kanye West interviews while writing for the hip-hop soap.
"I was in my car in L.A., and I was driving around, and I heard a news story about Puffy, and I just thought, 'Hip-hop is so cool. That's what I should do next, something in hip-hop,'" Strong said, according to Vulture. "And I immediately began thinking King Lear and The Lion in Winter, and that's how I work. I go to classical archetypes."
But Strong's work wasn't done until he got some insight on the inner workings of the rap industry.
"To procrastinate and for inspiration, I started watching Kanye West interviews. After 45 minutes ... I said, 'All right, I'm good. I know how to do this.'"
Earlier this month, it was reported that Diddy planned to sue the Fox show, claiming that the show ripped off the story of his life for the lead character, Lucious Lyon.
Reports also surfaced that he banned his son Quincy from appearing on the series because he would have to sign over the music rights for any songs that appear on the show.
Following the finale of Season 1, the cast of Empire joined forces and offered up suggestions of famous musicians and influential people they want to guest star on Season 2. Suggestions included Mariah Carey, Denzel Washington, Beyoncé, Black Thought and, of course, Mr. West. That may not be too far fetched since he's reportedly had such an influence on the show.
Lee Daniels recently confirmed that he has written roles for Oprah Winfrey and Oscar-winner Common.
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