Arts & Entertainment
Tyler Perry: The ‘Madea’s Witness Protection’ Interview
By Kam Williams
Special To The Skanner News
T
yler Perry’s inspirational journey
from the hard streets of New
Orleans to the heights of Holly-
wood’s A-list is the stuff of American
legend. Born into poverty and raised in
a household scarred by abuse, Tyler
fought from a young age to find the
strength, faith and perseverance that
would later form the foundations of his
much-acclaimed plays, films, books
and shows.
It was a simple piece of advice from
Oprah Winfrey that set Tyler’s career
in motion. Encouraged to keep a diary
of his daily thoughts and experiences,
he began writing a series of soul-
Tyler
searching letters to himself. The let-
ters, full of pain and in time, forgiveness, became a healing
catharsis. His writing inspired a musical, “I Know I’ve
Been Changed,” and in 1992 Tyler gathered his life’s sav-
ings and set off for Atlanta in hopes of staging it for sold out
crowds.
And so began an incredible run of thirteen plays in as
many years, including “Woman Thou Art Loosed!,” a cele-
brated collaboration with the prominent Dallas pastor T.D.
Jakes. In early 2005, Tyler’s first feature film, “Diary of a
Mad Black Woman,” debuted at #1 nationwide. His ensuing
films “Madea’s Family Reunion,” “ Daddy’s Little Girls,”
“Why Did I Get Married?,” “ Meet The Browns,” “The
Family That Preys,” “I Can Do Bad All by Myself” and
“Why Did I Get Married Too?” have all met with massive
critical and commercial success, delighting audiences
across America and around the world.
2006 saw the publication of Tyler’s first book, “Don’t
Make a Black Woman Take Off Her
Earrings: Madea’s Uninhibited
Commentaries On Life and Love,”
which shot to the top of the New
York Times nonfiction bestseller
list and remained there for eight
weeks. It went on to claim Quill
Book Awards for both “Humor” and
“Book of the Year” (an unheard-of
feat for a first-time author), and
spread Tyler Perry’s unique brand
of inspirational entertainment to a
devoted new audience.
It is a brand that is quickly
becoming an empire. In 2007, Tyler
expanded his reach to television
with the TBS series “House of
Payne,” the highest-rated first-run
syndicated cable show of all time,
Perry
which went into syndication after
only a year. His follow up effort, “Meet the Browns,” was
the second highest debut ever on cable - after “House of
Payne.”
Not one to rest on success, Tyler Perry and his 300+
Atlanta-based employees are always hard at work. In the
fall of 2008, he opened his 200,000 square foot Studio in
Atlanta, situated on the former Delta Airlines campus of
more than 30 acres. The Studio consists of 5 sound stages,
a post production facility, a pond, a back lot, a 400-seat the-
ater, a private screening room, and designated areas for
entertaining and hosting events.
But listen to Tyler Perry and you’ll hear a man who has-
n’t forgotten about the people that have helped him reach
the top of a mountain he could once only dream of climb-
ing. He has donated generously to charities that focus on
helping the homeless, such as Feeding America, Covenant
House, Hosea Feed the Hungry, Project Adventure, and
Perry Place - a 20-home
community that Tyler built
for survivors of Hurricane
Katrina in New Orleans.
In July 2009, Tyler spon-
sored a trip to Walt Disney
World for 65 children after
learning that a suburban
swim club had turned them
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Page 6 The Portland Skanner June 27, 2012
Perry, at left, and Eugene Levy in ‘Madea’s Witness
Protection Program.’
away because of the color of their skin. Tyler Perry has also
built 2 churches and has donated generously to the NAACP.
In January 2010, Perry pledged $1,000,000 via The Tyler
Perry Foundation to help rebuild the lives of those affected
by the recent earthquakes in Haiti.
Tyler Perry practices what he preaches, and what he
preaches has endeared him to millions of fans drawn by that
unique blend of spiritual hope and down-home humor that
See TYLER on page 10