Tyler Perry has a new interview as part of his feature in Men’s Health – he talks about his past, following in Morgan Freeman’s footsteps, and getting into shape for his new movie, ‘Alex Cross’.
When he talks about his past, he talks about how hard he’s worked in his youth, saying, “I’ve worked my entire life to get to this place… The first 28 years of my life, it was hell and misery. Now I can do whatever I want. I don’t want any drama; I don’t want to argue; I don’t want to answer to anybody. I’ve worked too hard to get here, and I’m loving this freedom.”
He also talks about following Morgan Freeman’s footsteps in playing this iconic character, saying, “I thought, ‘Well, Morgan Freeman played this role, you might not want to do this, ’cause Morgan Freeman knocked it out of the park,’” Perry recalls. “But the more I read it, the more I realized that I could do it.”
Of course, to do that Perry had to go through a strict diet and weight loss regime to get him in shape to play Alex Cross. He talks about the regime, which included cardio and Krav Maga. His diet, which used to consist of biscuits, pancakes, pork chops, jambalaya, and dirty rice, was replaced by egg whites, ground turkey chili, grilled chicken breasts, and green shakes.
Perry also has other news to celebrate, in addition to his trim figure and successful film career - he is now partnering with Oprah on her network. Although he doesn't make it clear whether he will continue to focus on film or television, the deal does encompass a couple of new shows per year, so it seems that Perry will be a busy man for years to come. And deservedly so.
