Lee Daniels: 'Mo'Nique doesn't question'

Lee Daniels has claimed that he cast Mo'Nique in Precious because she would never question his direction.

The filmmaker has said that aside from previously having worked with the actress, he considers Mo'Nique to be a very good friend.

Speaking to the Los Angeles Times, the 50-year-old said: "Mo'Nique was the first person that I cast. We worked together on a film called Shadowboxer. She's my very good friend and she doesn't - and for the most part, nor do any of the other actors - question me. They don't question me.

"If I ask you to throw the baby, she throws the baby... I ask her don't shave her arms, she doesn't shave her arms. There are no questions."

As for the casting of Gabourey Sidibe in the lead role of Precious, Daniels revealed that he had a difficult time narrowing potential actresses for the part.

He said: "I interviewed over 400 girls... I looked for the truth. I was looking for girls that were Precious because, certainly, Hollywood didn't offer them.

"So I was at the 7-Eleven, on the train station stops, inside of the KFC, off the streets. I narrowed it down to 10 girls and they were phenomenal... a lot of them couldn't read, a lot of them were sexually abused. I learned so much about Precious through those 400 girls."

Precious is currently playing in the US and arrives in UK cinemas on January 29, 2010.