Tyler Perry

Tyler Perry: I was watching the Oprah show one day and she said that it's cathartic to write things down, so I started writing down the stuff that was happening to me. I started using different characters' names, because if someone had found my journal, I didn't want them to know I had been through that kind of stuff. That's how my first play "I Know I've Been Changed" started, which features a character who confronts an abuser, forgives him and moves on.

Tyler Perry: I was unhappy and miserable during the first 28 years of my life...The things that I went through as a kid were horrendous. And I carried that into my adult life. I didn't have a catharsis for my childhood pain, most of us don't, and until I learned how to forgive those people and let it go, I was unhappy.

(Tyler Perry talking about his oft played character Madea) Tyler Perry: Everyone knows her. We watch with nostalgia when we think about this type of grandmother. Madea being a southern term for mother dear...she's not around anymore. When she was around, everybody's kid belonged to her. She kept the entire neighborhood straight. Now we're in a different time and different age where grandmothers are in their early and late 30s. People are looking for this Madea, the 68-year-old who doesn't care about being politically correct. She doesn't care what you think about her. She's going to tell the truth.

Tyler Perry: There's nothing like real forgiveness, a deep-down forgiveness where you don't hold any grudges against people. I forgave [everybody] for the things they didn't know and for the things they didn't know to do.

(Tyler Perry talks about his home near Atlanta, Georgia) Tyler Perry: I wanted this house to be vast. I wanted to make a statement, not in any grand or boastful way, but to let people know what God can do when you believe...I don't care how low you go, there's an opposite of low, and as low as I went I wanted to go that much higher. And if there was an opposite of homelessness, I wanted to find it.

Tyler Perry: My theater productions were designed to be a bridge between the traditional urban theater circuit - pejoratively referred to as the "chitlin' circuit" - and a more traditional theater format

(Tyler Perry talking about the company that has acquired the rights to his films as of 2006) Tyler Perry: Lionsgate is my family, the home for all my movies and videos...and they've given me exactly what you want in a home: a supportive environment and the room to grow.

Tyler: Hollywood is finally waking up to the fact that people who go to church also go to the movies. I'm not sure what took them so long to see that - or how long they'll keep it up.

Tyler: I know my audience, and they're not people that the studios know anything about.

(Trying to categorize his performances) Tyler: It's schizophrenic -- that's how I describe it. It's all over the place, man. It's joy, it's happy, it's sad, it's everything. It's just an emotional roller coaster, you know? Even the plays themselves, you come to see them and it's like a stand-up comedic routine. I'm breaking the wall. I'm talking to the audience. It's theater. It's some of everything. It's concert.

Tyler: There's a huge demand for my entertainment, and I can't meet the need. So I decided to try a TV show to reach as many of my fans as possible.

Tyler: What is important to me about my movies is that the stories and messages are for anyone. Anyone who needs to learn about forgiveness will enjoy it no matter who they are.

Tyler: I've always wanted to work with Blair (Underwood), and finally the timing was right. I have a tremendous amount of respect for him. I think he's a hugely underrated actor in Hollywood.