Hollywood said ‘no’ to Deon Taylor, so he made his own path
LINDSEY BAHR
AP Film Writer
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Deon Taylor doesn't take no for an answer when it comes to filmmaking. And it's a word he hears all the time.
When no one wanted to make his first film, he made it himself and even persuaded Rutger Hauer to be in it. When the studio said they couldn't afford Oscar-nominated cinematographer Dante Spinotti for his latest, "Black and Blue ," Taylor opened up his wallet and paid Spinotti himself. And when he realized the press schedule for his racially themed action film didn't include places like Dallas, Cleveland, Detroit and his hometown of Gary, Indiana, he made his own plans to reach those markets.
Taylor knows that some people think he's crazy for all the extra things he does. But that refusal to be dissuaded was the only way this kid