Tyler Perry Once Paid Cicely Tyson $1 Million For One Day Of Work
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Tyler Perry revealed how much he paid the late Cicely Tyson for her role in 2007’s Why Did I Get Married?. In conversation with AARP Magazine, the filmmaker shared his intention to make the iconic actress feel valued.
“I’ve never said this publicly, but I took care of Ms. Tyson for the last 15 years of her life. She was a proud woman, and the only reason I mention this is because she wrote it in her book,” he explained to the publication.
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“This woman had done so many amazing things, but she wasn’t well compensated for it,” Perry continued. “She made $6,000 for Sounder, you know? I wanted to make sure she knew that there were people who valued her. So, she did one day of work on my 2007 film Why Did I Get Married? I paid her a million dollars. I loved working with her. And it makes me feel great that I was in a position to give this incredible woman some security in her latter years.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Perry discussed fatherhood and wanting his son to remain out of the spotlight.
“My son’s not famous. I want him to have as normal a life as he can. I want him to know what it’s like to have his own name and his own life and not have the pressure of trying to live up to whatever or whoever your father was,” he explained.
The acclaimed filmmaker was named the recipient of AARP’s 2023 Honorary Purpose Prize award for his work through The Perry Foundation.
The 52-year-old filmmaker “has been committed to transforming tragedy into triumph by cultivating individual potential, supporting communities, and harvesting sustainable change,” reads AARP’s issued press release.
