Tyler Perry receives a lot of criticism about his TV series and movies. And honestly, most of it is deserved. However, one thing he always gets right is respect for his elders. Over the years, he’s featured our best acting legends in many of his projects and consistently treats them with the dignity they weren’t previously given.
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Per AARP The Magazine, The Oval creator made sure award-winning actress Cicely Tyson was paid well and shown her value when she worked with him.
“I’ve never said this publicly, but I took care of Ms. Tyson for the last 15 years of her life. She was a proud woman, and the only reason I mention this is because she wrote it in her book,” he said. “This woman had done so many amazing things, but she wasn’t well compensated for it. She made $6,000 for Sounder, you know? I wanted to make sure she knew that there were people who valued her.”
Ms. Tyson appeared in Perry’s Diary of a Mad Black Woman, Madea’s Family Reunion, Why Did I Get Married Too?, and co-starred with him in Alex Cross. The pair developed a close relationship while working together.
“So, she did one day of work on my 2007 film Why Did I Get Married? I paid her a million dollars,” Perry continued. “I loved working with her. And it makes me feel great that I was in a position to give this incredible woman some security in her latter years.”
I’ll be honest, I’m not the biggest fan of Perry’s art. But I do respect his philanthropy and generosity. The “Madea” actor’s commitment to Tyson and decision to not make it public shows just how much he loved her.
We’ve all had that one person in our lives who’s inspired us to be the best version of ourselves. If we had the resources of Tyler Perry, wouldn’t we all do this for them? If there’s one thing we’ve all learned in the last few years, it’s that we can’t wait to give people their flowers and tell them how we feel about them.
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