The BV Q&A: Tyler Perry
By Ken Gibbs, AOL BlackVoices
Tyler Perry might be the biggest celebrity whom you never knew, but that is all about to change. The successful playwright, whose rise from homelessness to self-made millionaire has earned him the multimillion-dollar backing of the independent studio Lions Gate, is about to release 'Diary of a Mad Black Woman,' his first feature film.
Starring Kimberly Elise, Shemar Moore, and Perry himself as the gun-toting, pot-smoking grandmother Madea, 'Diary' is bound to find a huge box office and expand the definition of black cinema. BlackVoices recently spoke with Perry about the making of the film.
You've produced many plays, but why did you choose to make 'Diary of a Mad Black Woman' your first film?
This story was the one that I thought would be the best movie. There was so much more I wanted to tell on stage that I couldn't, so film just allowed me an opportunity to really take it to a lot of different places, and a different level.
Why did you make Kimberly Elise the "mad black woman"?
I fought for her because there are a lot of great actors here in Hollywood, but there's something very, very powerful about her performances. Everything I've ever seen her do, I've walked away moved, and I've never forgotten anything, from 'Beloved' to 'Set It Off.' There was this power and incredible passion, and something behind her eyes that comes through. And there was no one else whom I wanted to be the mad black woman, other than her. And she got it immediately. Once she read it, she got it. There was no direction needed for her. She knew exactly where to go with the character.
Was the mad black woman always a part of the title?
It originally was just 'Diary of a Woman,' and the more I heard how angry she was it became a mad black woman. It started with the play, and had a tremendous amount of success there, but the title is about her diary and how she kept these stories of everything that he's done to her, and this also became her catharsis to heal and move on.
Shemar Moore seems born to play the role of Orlando.
Yeah, I think he did an awesome job with it, and I think it's something that a lot of people haven't seen in a performance like that from him. So I was really adamant about having him as well because I knew very little about him, but I knew that, in watching a lot of things that he had done, that there was a level in him, or something within him, that he hadn't showed on screen yet. So, for me, there was no other Orlando. And the amount of realness and warmth that he brings to this character really made it sing and come alive.
You're almost doing the impossible right now, taking successful black plays and getting them feature film deals while many are complaining about the lack of opportunity and interest from Hollywood. Why do you think you've been successful?
I think it's my dedication and spirit to independents, and being outside of the system. Because my original thought was do this, put it on video, distribute it yourself, as I do all of my titles for the plays. But I was with the studio and they wanted changes and notes, and I said, "I don't work this way. I'm not gonna do this." And before I could get out of Hollywood, Lions Gate called and said, "We'll let you do whatever you want to do." And I think that is just so important, especially when you're talking about the experience of a specific culture, it has to be told from a point of view that everyone may not understand. So it's partly because of the success that I've had, because of the story, because of the track record and the audiences. I think it has allowed me to build some new bridges. And I hope, I truly hope that it continues, not only for me, but for anyone else who's in this business.
Feb. 17, 2005