TORONTO (AP) _ Tyler Perry says his mother gave him something more precious than money.
The popular writer and director of plays and films says “what she gave me was her God, which was the source of her strength.” In the scripts he writes, Perry says, “every time a character has an issue, the only thing I know how to do for that character is to take them to where I find my strength, and that is church, God, inspiration.”
In his latest film, “I Can Do Bad All By Myself,” Perry once again plays both the domineering female Madea (muh-DEE’-uh) and the comically crude old Uncle Joe.
Like many of his films, it’s a box office hit that grew out of a play he wrote.
In a recent stage performance, Perry says a little girl from the audience asked Madea to teach her the Bible, and he ad-libbed Madea’s mangled interpretation of Scripture for 45 minutes.