Tyler Perry says The Family That Preys was born out of his experiences in Black community and a disconcerting feeling that he was being “preyed” on by people clamoring for their own celebrity. (Courtesy Photo)
Dressed casually in a salmon-pink dress shirt, jeans and a fitted New York Yankees cap, Tyler Perry exudes brother-next-door charm as he sits with elbows propped on a table and alert, engaging eyes despite the grueling promotional tour for his upcoming film The Family that Preys. He flashes the same toothy smile seen on his frequent visits to the “Oprah Winfrey Show” and laughs enthusiastically at his own blithe jokes.
And although he is on a fast track toward media-mogul status and has won hundreds of accolades for his work, Perry maintains the same unpretentious demeanor of a relative unknown wowed by the interest of the media. He says remaining humble despite his burgeoning success is an effortless task, because only several yeas ago, he was that newcomer struggling to carve a niche in an industry rigid with conventionalism.
“At the Lyric Opera House, I remember when I came and did my first show, there was maybe 700 people in the audience, I could throw a brick and not hit anybody…,” he says. “But [the show] has grown, it’s grown since then.”
Perry first drilled through the barriers of America’s collective consciousness with a pistol in hand and a razor-sharp tongue as Madea, a physically and emotionally-overbearing matriarch. Since then, he says his career has skyrocketed to unfathomable heights with successes on stage, TV and in films such as 2007’s Daddy’s Little Girls starring Gabrielle Union and Why Did I Get Married with Janet Jackson. When asked if he’d ever been floored by the extent of his own accomplishments, Perry says he’s still reeling from the fruits of his stardom each day, even the smallest perks.
“Everyday I look and say, ‘This is miraculous. Yeah, it’s pretty darn good.’ I have an air conditioner in my house that I don’t have to shake in the window anymore… It’s the little things I get so much pleasure in. Being able to turn the key and the car starts, being able to go to the gas station and fill the car up… I appreciate it and respect it, because I remember when, I so remember when…”
Perry hopes to maintain his cinematic momentum with The Family That Preys, but says he took a daring creative risk with the film, which differs in theme and tone from his previous works. Gone are the floppy grey wigs, flowery dresses and razor-sharp humor that marks a Madea production. The Family That Preys is far more dark. Hollywood all-stars Alfre Woodard and Cathy Bates star with Sanaa Lathan and District-native Taraji P. Henson in the production. Bates and Woodard play two women who from an outsiders glance, lead fulfilling lives. But slowly, their families begin to beleaguer, belittle and “prey” on each other in a series of deceitful and damaging affairs.
The release was born out of Perry’s own experiences within the Black community, and a disconcerting feeling that he was being “preyed” on by people clamoring for their own celebrity and fame.
“I had been going through this thing with Black people. They were showing me all this love and all these hi-fives walking down the street, then I raised my head above water and everybody else started knowing me. I got all this hate, these haters and this foolishness,” he said. “All these people were preying on me at the time. It’s like you’ve got all these people trying to get something from you and I started writing the script after I heard this song by Leann Womack, ‘I Hope You Dance’… Basically, what it boils down to is, no matter what, I hope you dance -- whatever life brings you just enjoy it. So that’s where this movie comes from and the characters were born out of that.”
The Louisiana native says he hopes to create characters with universal appeal and struggles that bring light to the fears and desires of everyday moviegoers in The Family That Preys.
“I hope people can relate to Cathy’s character of having it all, but what happens if you don’t have your health? And Alfre’s character was really important to me too, becaue it’s like, you talk about God and faith, but you’ve spent your life in four walls, you won’t get out and see the world. You’re afraid. “I’m hoping a whole lot of folks cant relate to Sanaa’s character because she’s off the chain, she’s out of control. But a lof of people will be able to. She’s about the dollar bill, getting her money.”
With the film’s Sept. 12 release date inching closer, only audiences can decide if The Family That Preys will be met with the same commercial aplomb as Perry’s previous efforts. However, the actor/director says he has learned to accept the condescending quips from bloggers and non-recognition from the mainstream media with the continued support of his most unflinching fans.
“I still have my amazing core,” he says. “The millions of Black people who really support and get it and applaud me and pray for me and lift me up.”
Alfre Woodard and Cathy Bates are costars in Tyler Perry’s new film The Family That Preys. (Courtesy Photo)
By Kristin Gray
AFRO News Editor