Luther Vandross’ Documentary Director Details How She Tackled Controversial Topics Like His Weight And Sexuality
Dawn Porter, director of Luther: Never Too Much, is speaking out about his life, legacy, and the struggle to get his story right in the upcoming documentary about the pioneering crooner.
“I really wanted him to be able to tell you his story as much as possible, so how do you do that with someone who’s not with us?” she told The Hollywood Reporter in a recent interview. “A lot of that was thinking about the lyrics. [On] ‘Any Love,’ he was just endlessly frustrated with the absence of a romantic partner in his life. So through his lyrics, I think you get to know a little bit more about him.”
Two of the most sensitive topics when it comes to discussing Luther Vandross are his weight and his sexuality. Of the latter, Porter agrees that outing someone is wrong. “What’s challenging, of course, is that he’s not here to speak for himself, and he chose to keep his private life private,” she explained.
Continuing, “On the other hand, I’m not homophobic; I wouldn’t want to be homophobic, so what we tried to do was have the people who loved him and knew him talk about his desire to be private and then say, ‘We’re going to respect how he wanted to live his life and what he wanted to say.’”
Porter did receive Sony and Vandross’ family’s blessing to create the film, granting her access to 80 hours of rehearsal footage, 150 hours of archival footage, and over 2,000 exclusive images.
She revealed, “The family is sensitive about some things, and I had a lot of respect for that, but they also had a lot of respect for me as a filmmaker and knew that all the aspects of his story should be told, so everybody’s happy.”
The famed director later noted that “he didn’t have a perfect life by any means, so we addressed all of that. But I think for all of us, your struggles and how you respond to those struggles, that’s the story.” Most of all, Porter shared that her goal with the documentary was to celebrate his talent. “He’s the soundtrack to America, not just the soundtrack for Black people,” she gushed.
Luther: Never Too Much will premiere at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival on Jan. 21. The documentary comes nearly 20 years after Vandross’ death in 2005. The beloved vocalist died at age 54 from a heart attack, two years after a stroke left him in a two-month coma — ultimately, leaving him wheelchair-bound and damaging his ability to speak or sing.
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