In an interview with The Daily Beast this week, Spike Lee used his own long history of being ignored by the Oscars to give some words of encouragement to Ava DuVernay and the rest of the Selma team. “[Being snubbed] doesn’t diminish a film,†he said. “Nobody’s talking about motherfuckin’ Driving Miss Daisy.†Ignoring the hurt his words likely caused Morgan Freeman, he continued: “If I saw Ava today I’d say, ‘You know what? Fuck ’em. You made a very good film.’†Lee also dismissed the idea that 12 Years a Slave’s Best Picture win last year was a sign that the Academy was taking black voices more seriously. “Anyone who thinks this year was gonna be like last year is retarded,†he explained. “It’s in cycles of every 10 years. Once every 10 years or so I get calls from journalists about how people are finally accepting black films. Before last year, it was the year [in 2002] with Halle Berry, Denzel [Washington], and Sidney Poitier. It’s a 10-year cycle. So I don’t start doing backflips when it happens.â€