Director and movie star Tyler Perry recently spoke about his dream to create lasting diversity in the Hollywood film industry. The actor and producer revealed this during an interview where he discussed his new film “A Jazzman’s Blues.”
The family drama premiered at the international film festival in Toronto on September 11 and will be available on Netflix on September 23. It follows two forbidden lovers and their journey to uncover secrets and lies that have been hidden for over 40 years. Aside from “A Jazzman’s Blues,” Perry has written, produced, and directed several other films and series.
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They include the film series “Madea” since 2005, “The Haves and the Have Nots” from 2013 to 2021, and “Sistas” since 2019. Perry shared that her dream for more diversity is driving her to create more black-centric projects . However, he worries about the future.
Read on to learn more.
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Tyler Perry Wants More Diversity
Perry is mostly known to fans for appearing in her own film as an old black woman named “Madea.” He is also known for featuring mostly Black people in his projects and sharing Black people’s stories. During the Interview with Hollywood ReporterPerry revealed how proud she is of her new film.
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The actor also spoke about his pride in his efforts to create opportunities for black people in the film industry. Perry said, “I’m very excited about what has happened. The variety, the choice, the opportunity.”
While Perry said she wants more opportunities for people of color, the actress explained that she wants to make sure they have what it takes to be the best. He said, “I’m concerned because there’s a push for diversity and a push to hire people of color that I find, in situations, that there are people [who] can be pushed into seats they are not ready for.”
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Tyler Perry Tries to Change Things
Perry also noted the need to train black actors and actresses to promote diversity. He explained that he wants black stars to live up to Hollywood standards when given the chance. When they don’t perform well, people call them out for “‘the bad job they do.'”
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The “A Madea Family Funeral” star also talked about how she’s been blamed for putting mediocre stars in the spotlight in the name of diversity. He said, “It is my hope that in all these efforts for diversity, we also provide time and training to ensure that we can do a great job.”
Many fans have praised “Jazzman” on social media, especially praising Perry for breaking from his usual habit of making himself the face of his films through Madea. However, the actor revealed that he faced several challenges while making the film.
Making ‘Jazzman’ Challenging
The film tells the story of a black man from Louisiana, Bayou, who earns a living as a jazz singer. She reconnects with and falls in love with her childhood sweetheart, who is now married to a white man. This made him the target of the small town’s racist leadership.
During the interview, Perry also revealed some of the difficulties he faced while making the film. He shared that many actors turned down his request to star in the film, following the negative reviews his previous films had received. He sees this as a sign to move on from the “Madea” era and create something new, like “Jazzman.”
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Tyler Perry Wants to Attract Fans
Perry talked about how many people have grown from her Madea era. He said, “There’s a generation that’s come up that grew up with the Madea movies and enjoyed them but get a little bit older and they think: ‘This is so low,'” the actor said.
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Perry explained that he then decided to surprise fans with a new type of film. He said, “In that frustration, I thought, ‘Wait a minute, they’ve never seen you do anything like this.’ I don’t know if they thought Madea would come out from behind the tree.”
The actor also stated that he has high hopes for the new project. In response to whether he ever thought it would fail, the actor said, “Never. Not Jazzman. Not this movie because of the way I handled it like a child.”
The filmmaker also explained how important it is for him to capture the attention of fans. He remembered hearing their suggestion through his earlier film reviews and put it into Jazzman. Although it hasn’t been confirmed, fans may have to say goodbye to Madea for a while.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
