Perry’s ‘Higher’ power
Madea’s alter ego has his own wisdom to impart
TYLER Perry’s Glockwieldin’ granny, Madea, has been cracking up audiences since 1999, but in Perry’s new book, Madea barely gets a mention.
That’s because “Higher Is Waiting” isn’t a celebrity tellall. In fact, it’s not even a memoir, but a collection of spiritual lessons the prolific actor/writer/producer/ director has cultivated over his 48 years. Perry will discuss the book with Michael Strahan at the Gramercy Theatre on Tuesday, the day the book’s released.
“[With] everything that’s going on in the country . . . I’m so glad the book is coming at this time,” Perry tells The Post. “I wanted to let people know that if you’re living in a place that is dark, and you’re looking for color, you can reach higher because higher is waiting. That’s what happened in my own life.”
The darkness in Perry’s life came early on. Growing up in poverty in New Orleans, he was beaten bloody by his alcoholic father, Emmitt, and saw his mother beaten by him, too. At 16, Emmitt Junior changed his name to Ty- ler to distance himself from his abuser. Years later, he took a DNA test and discovered that Emmitt wasn’t even his biological father.
Initially, Perry’s determination in life was fueled by rage against the man who hurt him, but says his Christian faith allowed him to forgive.
“I realized that I had to let go of the pain,” he says. “The most difficult part was trying to switch my source of fuel from the negative to something positive. Once I learned how to do that, I was able to move forward.”
Now his troubled childhood reminds him of what kind of father he wants to be to Aman, the nearly 3-yearold son he shares with longtime girlfriend Gelila Bekele.
“My answers to fatherhood were in the opposite of what he did,” says Perry. “So I shower my son with love and hugs and do all I can to make sure he [knows] he’s a beautiful, emotional being that has been given to me as a gift to nurture.”
Perry also continues to nurture his entertainment empire, most recently with last month’s release of “Boo 2! A Madea Halloween.” The movies he’s directed and produced have grossed nearly a billion dollars worldwide, yet critics have rarely been kind.
“The older I get, the less I care,” he says. “Because what is important — and I never, ever lost sight of — is seeing the reaction from the people and what it does for them in their lives. If I start to forget who I’m speaking to, trying to please someone to get a good review, then I’m going to completely miss the mark.”
His next film, out in March, is “Acrimony,” a sexy thriller starring Taraji P. Henson. He’s also playing Colin Powell in “Backseat,” an upcoming film about Dick Cheney star- ring Christian Bale as the former vice president. As for his most famous character: She’ll make her 11th theatrically released film appearance in “A Madea Family Funeral,” out in August.
Perry hopes he can eventually hang up the character’s wig for good. “I’m deter- mined to not be her age playing her,” he says. “The minute people stop coming, that broad’s gone, man!”
Tyler Perry will discuss “Higher Is Waiting” in a presentation by the Strand at Gramercy Theatre, 127 E. 23rd St. on Tuesday at 8 p.m. $55 at TheGramercyTheatre.com