‘Maxine’s Baby: The Tyler Perry Story’ includes a scene in which the filmmakers unsuccessfully attempt to interview Tyler Perry’s father, Emmitt Perry
A new documentary about the life of Tyler Perry features a tense discussion with the Hollywood mogul’s father, Emmitt Perry.
In Amazon Prime Maxine’s Baby: The Tyler Perry Story, directors Armani Ortiz and Gelila Bekele chronicle Perry’s childhood in Louisiana and his rise to power in the film and television industry. Speaking with PEOPLE, the couple recalled a memorable moment in the movie where they tried to interview Perry’s father. (Bekele, 37, is Perry’s ex-girlfriend; the two dated from 2007 until splitting sometime around 2020. They share a son, Aman Tyler, 8.)
In the film, the documentary crew travels to Emmitt’s home with Tyler’s cousin Lucky Johnson. Cameras caught Emmitt, who Tyler cited as a childhood abuser, as he loudly claims he will not participate in the interview.
“It was a tough moment when we went to film it and we were in the car and we just had that interaction,” Ortiz says. “I remember calling Gelila [and saying], ‘We didn’t understand. We didn’t get an interview,’ and my heart broke. I said, ‘Gee, this will be an opportunity for him to also tell his truth and give a little more context about what really happened.’ ”
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‘Maxine’s Baby: The Tyler Perry Story’ directors Armani Ortiz (left) and Gelila Bekele (right).
Studio Tyler Perry
“AND [Bekele] he was like, ‘No, that’s the answer the story needs, because that’s his answer. That’s what he wanted to do, and what he wanted to do was not be a part of it at all,’ adds the director.
Bekele tells PEOPLE that she and Ortiz wanted to “create a space for polarity” all along. Maxine’s Babywhich delves into the widespread popularity of Tyler’s films and listens to the detractors of his work.
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Tyler Perry in ‘Maxine’s Baby: The Tyler Perry Story’.
Amazon Studios
“We wanted to somehow give him a chance [Emmitt] explain what happened [during Tyler’s childhood],” she says. “It could go two different ways — either he doesn’t remember it and just denies it, or he’ll be sorry and he’s sorry, so he’ll kind of say his thing and just talk. But naturally it ended up that way.”
“It really made us realize the seriousness of what happened to Tyler,” she adds. “If this man [has] this rage at age 80 and over, I can’t imagine what it was like when he was 40, around that age with young Tyler.”
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Tyler Perry in ‘Maxine’s Baby: The Tyler Perry Story’.
Amazon Studios
Tyler, 54, has publicly shared details of the severe abuse he experienced as a child for more than a decade. At the age of 41, he found out that Emmitt was not actually his biological father. Perry now supports him financially, although they have no other relationship — and he has forgiven his father.
“[It took] a tremendous amount of prayer,” Perry previously told PEOPLE. “But the biggest thing that helped me realize that was that holding on to what I held on to wasn’t hurting him… it was killing me.”
Maxine’s Baby: The Tyler Perry Story currently streaming on Prime Video.
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education