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Tyler Perry and Kimberly Elise Voices On Transcript
Question 1: Did Kimberly have any apprehension about playing the mad black woman?Kimberly: Was there ever any apprehension on my part about playing the mad black woman? Yes, there was initially. I didn’t know Tyler, I didn’t know Tyler’s work, we’d never met. On page it was something that was completely new to me. I recognized the brilliance and the bravery in it, but it was really important for me to get to sit down with Tyler and see where he was coming from and what was trying to achieve with this project. After I met Tyler and especially and after I met Madea I knew I wanted to be a part of it in that the intentions were so beautiful and so pure and honest and coming from a place to empower and enrich all of us as people, that I wanted to be a part of it. Also, the fact that it was so original. I recognized that this was a visionary, a risk taker, and those are definitely people I like to align myself with.
So any initial apprehension I had was quickly dissipated after we got spend time together and talk and I met Madea. She was going to knock me on my head if I didn’t do it.
[Laughing] Right, right.
Question 2: Do you feel that advertising your feature-film-release during Black History Month gives your team a commercial advantage? (Asked by Troy Thomas)
Tyler: You know what’s amazing about this is I wrote this film in Jan, and Feb we had our first reading, which was BHM last year, so the fact that it’s coming out BHM a year later is interesting and amazing at the same time. But I don’t necessarily think that it was planned that way but I do think that it gives us some sort of advantage in getting the word out about this film because [Diary of Mad Black Woman] does speak to the history of what we can achieve as a people.
Question 3: Do you think having black in the title will make potential non-black viewers feel excluded?
Kimberly: I think maybe initially because of the title people might think it’s not for them. But once the word gets out and the buzz gets going and people learn that it’s a universal story and the only black is in the title, it’s about people going through this life experience, they’ll come and embrace it.
We showed the film on Oprah, to the audience on Oprah, which is very diverse. And Oprah just asked the audience frankly, you know, did you all get it? And everybody –white black – cheered. They got it they loved it. I think once the word gets out -
Tyler: - it’ll be there. And I wrestled with changing the title [making air quotes] “Diary of a MAD Black Woman” because I wanted to invite everyone to the party. But the more I would write these scenes I would hear [Kimberly’s character] Helen, saying “signed, a Mad Woman, signed, a Mad Woman.” So I decided to leave it true to what it is. And I think that audiences will find it and they will realize this is a universal story that anyone will relate to.
Kimberly: Like my Big Fat Greek Wedding
Tyler: My Big Fat Greek Wedding.
Kimberly: Everybody went to that film -
Tyler: I saw it.
Kimberly: - and you didn’t have to be greek. Did you like it? Did you get it?
Tyler: Did you get it? Did you get the Mad Black Woman?
Kimberly: [confessing] I didn’t see my Big Fat Greek Wedding
Tyler: Well, it’s a great, funny movie and we’re hoping the same thing happens here.
Question 4: When are you going to come out with your book? (Asked by FEPESBLKART)
Tyler: I am working on two books right now. One is called “Don’t Make a Black Woman Take Off Her Earrings.” That is a book of Madea-ism. And the other book about my life, it’ll come in time. The chapters are still being written and I walk and as I live, so I still have a little time for that.
Question 5: How were you able to have “Diary” premiere in so many theaters, unlike TD Jakes’ movie “Woman Thou Art Loosed?”
Tyler: ”Woman” was in limited release because of the company that Bishop Jakes worked with. Not that it wasn’t a great film, because the film was absolutely incredible. I think “Diary” was afforded more theaters because of the company that I chose – Lion’s Gate – who stands behin it 100% and they want to make sure that it is as big as we think it is and that it reaches as many people as it can. So that’s why we’re in more theaters.
Question 6: Why did you choose to use established actors instead of the ones you use in your plays? (Asked by BIGRED4REL)
Tyler: The reason I decided to use actors who are established instead of the actors who are in the plays was because there is a level that I wanted to be able to take the film to. The stage actors did an awesome job, they are incredibly talented, but they are stage actors. So I wanted people who had the experience in film, because I didn’t, who knew how this whole process worked to not slow it down but make sure they were adding something to it. So I had to make that choice. But Kimberly Elise, Shemar Moore, Cicely Tyson – they all brought so much more to it that I think it was good decision.
Question 7: Is there any chance of starting a writing competition to assist other young writers? (Asked by Nathaniel Hargress)
I think that I would love to at some point to form some kind of competition for writers and artists who are breaking into the industry. I don’t know how soon I would be able to do that because time is really crazy right about now, but that is a part of what I want in giving back and helping some other people in the industry come along. So it’ll come along in time.
Question 8: The Funniest Day on the Set
The most hilarious..? (Kimberly laughs) Tyler: The most hilarious event came out of a serious moment for me because it was the first day we were on set.
Kimberly: It’s hilarious because in retrospect…
Kimberly: In retrospect. The first day we were on set, they hadn’t seen Madea, she and Steve Harris, they didn’t know what Madea looked like or who she was so they had did this great scene and study with this dramatic acting
Kimberly: We were working!
Tyler: God they were doing some wonderful stuff. And so I go and put on the costume and bust through the door and they were like wait a minute, we gotta have a meeting. We just set up this great scene and here comes this albatross into the room so that’s gotta be the funniest moment in retrospect.
Kimberly: It’s funny now.
Tyler: It was intense that moment, I was like alright…It’s gonna work. Just trust me its gonna work.
Kimberly: he said, “Trust me I know my audience it’s gonna work.”
Tyler: Kimberley had this look on her face like what did I just sign up for? What…Oh God, this is going to ruin me.
Kimberly: I didn’t know Medea, I didn’t know…
Tyler: She had no clue.
Kimberly: And then I just went with it and we had a great time.
Question 9: Stage or Screen? Pick or Choose
You know, having the success that I’ve had as a playwright and now moving over into film, I think if I had to make a choice, I couldn’t because I love both the same. Film is great because it lives on long after you’ve gone and the stage, there is nothing like the give and take of the audience. You can’t ask me to make a choice like that.
Question 10: Does God Matter on Screen
Kimberly: My spirituality is something that I use throughout all aspects of my life. As far as choosing work, it’s more a part of my progression as an actor and allowing myself to be challenged with each project and its just sort of coincidental that the last two projects I’ve done have had a religious or spiritual tinge to them. But really its about going further, pushing myself further, going into something that’s going to challenge me and make me grow. And that’s really my focus.
Question 11: The Difference between “Diary” and “Woman”
Kimberly: No this is...when I finished “Woman Thou Art Loosed” I really was looking for something lighter so I could have the opportunity to go to work and laugh and have some fun and in “Woman Thou Art Loosed” it was really an examination, for me, of anger in all its dimensions where as in “Diary” anger is one emotion that we deal with but I really get to play the gamut of emotions and explore the full circumference of a woman throughout this journey that she’s going through and for me as an actor that was really attractive and I felt I’d have a great challenge every day and so it’s not really the same at all.
Question 12: Will Kimberly ever be bad?
I want to do everything that I can that isn’t evil. (Laughs) Anything evil I don’t want to do. But if I get to explore different emotions and different point of views and different personality types, I’d love to do that. If I’m going to do something that’s action oriented, I’d really it want to be intelligent, and smart and ahead of the game versus fluffy, silly action stuff. I would to continue to want to be challenged in whatever I do and hopefully very soon I’ll get the opportunity to show some other sides.
Question 13: Who is Madea based on?
Tyler: I think Madea, the Madea character is a cross between my mother and my aunt. She is a cross between a lot of women that I knew growing up in the neighborhood. You know Madea itself is a southern term. It’s short for Mother Dear. And whoever you call Nana, Grandmother, all of these affectionate terms it’s one of those kind of terms…she represents a lot different women and a lot of different people that I’ve come into contact with.
Question 14: Why did Tyler play Madea?
Tyler: You know, the reason I played Madea is because I know this character inside and out and I don’t know, I’m sure there are a lot of women who could have done this and had a great time with this but no, I gotta have fun, man, I gotta have all of the enjoyment that comes outta that character. So it was selfish and that’s okay, ‘cause I love Madea and that’s okay.
Question 15: Why Onscreen Black Romance is Important
Tyler:I think its important to bring this kind of romantic comedy Diary of a Mad Black Woman to theaters so that people, so that anybody, no matter your race will get an opportunity to see that love is possible and it speaks to hope, for so many people who’ve have lost hope in love or who are in bad relationships, it talks about letting go and forgiving and moving on all those things are universal and we all need to hear them so I think that’s one of the main, main things for me that it was about.
Kimberly: Yeah, and just for me, it was so lovely to see this couple show affection and love in a way, especially with two black characters that you don’t typically see on the screen and it’s so genuine and honest and pure and just based on love and the spirit of two people, I thought that was so beautiful and again, completely universal and anybody can go and see that and smile for the couple when they fall in love and clap when, you know, whatever happens at the end and all of that. It’s just beautiful and to put some humor in there…
Tyler: yeah, it makes it all better and black people have been seen like this on film, we’ve never been seen as loving, especially black men – as loving, caring fathers who take care of their kids and all of this other stuff. It was just very important to me to be true to what I know we are as a people.
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