Hollywood Ignored Tyler Perry, So He Built His Own Empire
The writer, director, producer and actor is a one-man show who’s found incredible commercial success and turned Atlanta into a film and television hotbed.
Film studio employees aren’t easily impressed by celebrities. Yet a giddy moment transpired for the staff at Tyler Perry Studios when Eddie Murphy, Will Smith, Martin Lawrence and Wesley Snipes all found one another on the lot in Atlanta on the same day a few years ago.
“Eddie, come out here, you can’t hide!” Smith yelled outside a trailer. When Murphy emerged he was met by Smith and Lawrence, who were there to shoot a sequel in their Bad Boys film franchise, and by Snipes, who was working with Murphy on Coming 2 America. The four stars exchanged hugs. “It’s hard to beat this,” Smith said as he captured the foursome in a selfie.