The actor, writer, comedian and filmmaker who was recently honoured with a Hollywood star, unveiled a movie studio that sits on 330 acres with 12 sound stages yesterday evening in a glamorous event that had some of Hollywood’s big starts in attendance. He had guests such as Spike Lee, Oprah Winfrey, Samuel L. Jackson and Beyoncé among so many others.
He made history as he became the first black American to own a major film studio outright. The studios are bigger than Disney, Warner Bros. and Paramount’s studios in Burbank, California, combined.
However, Perry believes Hollywood doesn’t ‘get’ him, and the industry ignores him and his work.
“I clearly believe that I’m ignored in Hollywood, for sure. And that’s fine. I get it. My audience and the stories that I tell are African-American stories specific to a certain audience, specific to a certain group of people that I know, that I grew up [with], and we speak a language. Hollywood doesn’t necessarily speak the language. A lot of critics don’t speak that language. So, to them, it’s like, ‘What is this?’” he is quoted to have said.
Tyler Perry has additionally acted in films not directed or produced by himself, including Star Trek (2009), the titular character in Alex Cross (2012), Gone Girl (2014), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: out of the shadows(2016) and Vice(2018).