House of Perry

Tyler Perry is a self-made entertainment mogul, a smash hit in the worlds of TV, publishing, DVDs and movies.

His latest film, “Why Did I Get Married?” opens in theaters today.

But he is also very self-aware about his place in the public eye.

“To some people, it’s ‘Oh, yeah, I know who Tyler Perry is,’ ” he says. “And then with some people, it’s ‘Tyler who?’ “

But Perry, 38, doesn’t seem to mind. He’s found a recipe that works and his audience has proved to be intensely loyal, continually coming back for more helpings.

The Perry formula usually consists of a mixture of buoyant comedy, some fiery melodrama and uplifting messages of faith and redemption.

His films boast meaty roles for black actresses, who often play characters triumphing over adversity.

“Married” is the story of four vacationing black couples who deal with issues relating to their marriages. Along with Perry himself, its stars include singers Janet Jackson and Jill Scott, Michael Jai White and Malik Yoba.

Perry’s movies speak directly to his core audience, primarily black women. It’s almost as if he called them on their cell phones and asked what they wanted to see.

“I grew up under my mother’s apron strings,” he says. “She tried to protect me from my father, so I was in the beauty salons and the hair salons, hearing what women talk about and what they feel. It helps in my relationships with women to this day.”

In his films, it’s the female characters that are indelible. Think of Kimberly Elise’s angry homemaker in “Diary of a Mad Black Woman,” who must learn forgiveness, or Gabrielle Union as an emotionally guarded attorney in “Daddy’s Little Girls.”

“He tells true-life stories that are very common in the African American community,” says Nancy Hooper, church secretary at First Institutional Baptist Church of Phoenix. “There are strong values and messages that can help you through life.”

Critic-proof films

Perry’s following has snowballed since his career caught fire in the ‘90s. A playwright, actor and director, he initially became a hit on the black theater circuit, starring and writing in a number of productions that toured the country.

“Over the last 15 years, the relationship between the audience and me has been my give-and-take on the road,” he says. “It was my education in how to tell a story. It was invaluable.”

He donned drag to play the wisecracking matriarch Madea, and the peppery character became his best-known creation. To the uninitiated: She’s not unlike Vicki Lawrence’s Mama, equally sassy but with more heart.

Thanks to their popularity on the road, the stage shows were taped for DVD release. That was even more lucrative, which led Perry to ink a deal with Lions Gate for theatrical movies. That’s when things exploded.

Perry’s first three films – “Diary of a Mad Black Woman,” “Madea’s Family Reunion” and “Daddy’s Little Girls” – were filmed for less than $10 million each.

The cumulative box office gross? More than $140 million.

You figure profits like that would have the movie industry knocking on Perry’s door. He swears that’s not the case.

“I really don’t have a lot of dealings with Hollywood,” he insists. “I run everything out of Atlanta. I don’t spend much time in Hollywood.”

And really, he doesn’t need to. He retains the rights to his films. Most of the movies – including “Why Did I Get Married?” – aren’t screened in advance for critics doing reviews.

That’s Perry’s decision, which he made after “Diary of a Mad Black Woman” got ripped by the press.

“It got so much negativity – I was like, ‘Wow,’ ” he says. “Now I see that it wasn’t that great a movie, but the audience loved it.

“When you screen a film, you spend money. Why do I want to pay for people to say things like that? Now, it’s like, let me roll the dice and see what happens.”

Unsurprising success

Perry sounds like success didn’t catch him off guard. He’s not cocky; rather, he emerges as someone who intensely believes that he has a message the public wants to hear.

“I’m very grateful,” he says. “The audience is growing very organically.

“I’m not surprised … these are universal stories. If these were all-white casts saying the exact same lines, people wouldn’t be surprised (by the success).”

At the same time, he’s not trying to court white audiences. If they come, fine, but he won’t go chasing after them.

“I can’t focus on it: ‘How do I penetrate this market?’ ” he says. “I’m doing the very best storytelling I can. I have a huge following who are white people who love what I do.”

Still, that following can’t rival his stature in the black community.

“Popular entertainment is pretty segregated still,” says Manny Otiko, a media relations associate with California-based WunderMarx Public Relations.

“There are mainstream artists who cross over, but lots of people don’t. Luther Vandross was a household name who never had the same kind of appeal (with white America). He knew his audience, just like Tyler Perry.”

Otiko says Perry succeeded the old-fashioned way: He found a gap in the market and filled it.

“If you see a professional, college-educated African American over the age of 30, there’s a lot of entertainment passing them by,” he says. “I’m 36. I can’t watch BET. I’m not going to listen to gangster rap. It doesn’t speak to me. This was an audience that was going under the radar.”

What’s next?

Perry may have found a niche, but he’s not standing still. He’s written a script about the relationship between a Holocaust survivor and a jazz singer that has none of his usual spirituality, and he says it’s the darkest thing he’s written.

“It’s a rapid departure from anything I’ve done,” he says. “It’s a kind of suspense drama that may surprise audiences.”

Will his fans go for that?

“That’s my only concern,” he admits. “But it’s such a passion of mine. I’m going to do it in a year where I’ve got a Madea movie and some other movie out, and I can drop this one in the middle.”

Somehow, you know the fans will be there.