www.blacktree.tv BlackTree TV's Jamaal Finkley sits down to talk to writer/director/producer/actor Tyler Perry about his new movie Madea's Big Happy Family. We got to talk about the future of Madea, as well as how he keeps himself from burning out. With the release of Lionsgate's MADEA'S BIG HAPPY FAMILY, writer/director/star Tyler Perry offers a testament to the healing power of faith and family, told with his signature blend of laughter and pathos. At a time when many commercial films fit neatly into particular genres, Perry bucks the trend by combining broad humor and heartfelt drama, creating a world where physical comedy, sight gags and caricature intertwine with deeply felt stories about loss, abuse and broken lives. It's a balance that, in the director's opinion, is not unlike life itself. "Comedy is all around me," says Perry. "Even in some of the most serious situations, even in some of my greatest sadness, I find something to be joyful about. That's why my films are the way they are. The audience wants to laugh. They want to have a little drama or melodrama. So I just love going all the way in both directions. And with Madea I can do that." "Tyler understands the healing power of humor," says producer Reuben Cannon, who produced Perry's first film, Lionsgate's DIARY OF A MAD BLACK WOMAN in 2005 and has been part of Perry's team ever since. "Sometimes to get the truth across, you can do it more effectively while they're laughing." MADEA'S BIG HAPPY FAMILY marks Perry's eleventh film production in approximately six years. In that short span, he's outpaced every other writer/director making films for theatrical release, produced hit television shows and built his own 200,000 sq. ft. studio facility in his hometown of Atlanta. But as the latest work in a steady stream of entertainment emerging from Tyler Perry Studios, MADEA'S BIG HAPPY FAMILY holds special significance for the film magnate. "I wrote the play that the movie is based on as an homage to my mother who had passed away," explains Perry. "Now I'm just really excited about having an opportunity to use this movie as my instrument to get through my own grief. Writing this story has helped me a great deal. And to be able to use something so tragic for me and pass it on to someone else and make them laugh, I have joy. It's a good feeling." MADEA'S BIG HAPPY FAMILY begins with bad news. Shirley, the aged mother of three adult children, learns that she is gravely ill. But she greets this misfortune with the unflappable positivity of a woman of strong faith. Anchoring the large ensemble cast, veteran actress Loretta Devine imbues Shirley with a deep, all-encompassing maternal warmth that is all but lost on her troubled, self-involved children. "Shirley's been sick for going on seven years and due to her illness she hasn't been able to manage her children very well," explains Devine. "She's a soft-spoken woman who relies on prayer, as opposed to hard discipline." Anticipating her final days, Shirley only wishes to have her fractured family united around her when she shares the news of her prognosis. "She wants to look at her children," Devine explains. "She wants them to feel her love and her care and her kindness." "Loretta has tremendous range as an actress," says producer Roger M. Bobb. "What you need to be able to do in a Tyler Perry movie is go from drama to comedy in a snap -- not from scene to scene, but sometimes literally from sentence to sentence. Very few actors can really pull that off. Loretta can." Unable to wrestle her children's attention away from their own dysfunctional lives, Shirley naturally turns to the only person who commands the authority to make people listen: Madea. The hilarious no-nonsense grandmother played by Perry, Madea is no stranger to the filmmaker's fans. Since her first appearance in Perry's debut film DIARY OF A MAD BLACK WOMAN, Madea has been the cornerstone star of Perry's ever-expanding gallery of characters and one of the primary reasons for the filmmaker's enduring popularity. Simply put, audiences love her. A BlackTree Media Production Produced by Jamaal Finkley Associate Producer Theryn Bond Segment Journalist Jamaal Finkley Clips Courtesy of Lionsgate and Tyler Perry Productions Special Thanks to Red Sea Entertainment for more log onto www.blacktree.tv A BlackTree Media Production Thank you for watching! Blacktree is at all the hottest events on the planet (award shows, movie premieres and press junkets, fashion shows, etc.) and now BLACKTREE ON TV brings stars to YOU on Soul of the South! Watch Full episodes below, and tune in! WEEKDAYS | 5:30 – 6:00pm, 1-1:30am WEEKENDS | 5 – 6:00pm Sat & Sun (CST) _________________________ BlackTree Media Production Subscribe to our channel goo.gl/lVN14 Log onto our stream at goo.gl/74Ama Follow us on twitter @BlackTreeTV

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