In short, it sounds like Kenya Barris’ hesitation to take on a feature film directing gig came from wanting enough creative control over the project to make it worth the commitment. “Ultimately, I had experiences where I was writing and getting them made, and I didn’t like what I saw,” he said to Forbes. “I was like, ‘If that’s what you’re going to do, I should just do less is more, and if I have a vision, I should try to do it and see what I felt was in my head when I was writing it.'”
Barris was famously the first high-profile filmmaker to leave a major deal with Netflix on the table when he left his nine-figure, multi-year deal at the streamer earlier than anticipated in 2020. “I just don’t know that my voice was Netflix’s voice,” he told The Hollywood Reporter. Still, “You People” is a Netflix Original, and Barris says the final product — a film about an interracial couple with a cast that includes Eddie Murphy, Nia Long, and co-writer Jonah Hill — matches his vision. “I’m glad I got an opportunity to do this because this is how I saw the movie in my head,” he told Forbes.