Tyler Perry addresses criticism over how he portrays African American women in his films, including his latest Netflix release, Straw. He says his work reflects real struggles and honors the women in his life.
Tyler Perry, after nearly 30 films, isn’t bothered by critics who say his movies focus too much on Black women’s hardships. In his new film, Straw, starring Taraji P. Henson as a mother fighting to save her sick child, Perry embraces this focus.
“I say nothing to those people who think that my films focus on the struggle of Black women, because they’re right. It does,” Perry said in an interview with True Love Magazine.
He explained that showing Black women honestly, with all their strengths and challenges, is his way of paying tribute.
“What I’m doing is a service to all people, so that people will know that Black women are not just strong and one thing; they are all things, and they go through all of these different things.”
According to The Grio, the release of Straw has brought back old debates about Perry’s portrayals. His films, from Madea to Diary of a Mad Black Woman and Acrimony, often show Black women in extremes, either strong or broken, loving or bitter, without much in between.
Perry explained that his stories come from real people, such as his mother, aunt, sisters, and friends. “To have an opportunity to be able to paint all of these pictures and all sides was something that I’m paying homage to my mother, to my aunt, to my sisters and friends and cousins and the things that they all went through,” he said.
He’s also been open about his past. Perry and his mother, Maxine, suffered abuse from his stepfather. In 2020, a DNA test revealed that Emmitt Perry, the man he thought was his father, wasn’t biologically related to him. He tells more of that story in his documentary Maxine’s Baby.
Despite criticism, Perry’s films keep attracting audiences and building his success. Taraji P. Henson, who stars in Straw and has worked with Perry many times, supports his approach.
“He doesn’t just pull this out of thin air. Those characters are real; Tyler Perry doesn’t just pull this out of the sky. These women exist. These people exist and they need to see themselves and they need to know that they’re not alone and that people do see them,” she told The Breakfast Club.
When asked about backlash, Henson said, “I think that’s their own trauma that is triggered.” She believes Perry’s films start necessary conversations. “That’s why I’ll never stop working with him,” she added.