Tyler Perry on Black Men in 'For Colored Girls'

Don't expect the portrayal of Black men in Tyler Perry's upcoming movie "For Colored Girls" to sit well with everyone. But that shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone who read the original 70s choreopoem by Ntozake Shange, says Perry. "That's what was controversial about ["For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf"] when it came about then, and that is what will be controversial about it now," said Perry explaining it during an appearance on "The View..."

ESSENCE.COM Oct, 24, 2010

Don’t expect the portrayal of Black men in Tyler Perry’s upcoming movie “For Colored Girls” to sit well with everyone. But that shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone who read the original 70s choreopoem by Ntozake Shange, says Perry. “That’s what was controversial about [“For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf”] when it came about then, and that is what will be controversial about it now,” said Perry explaining it during an appearance on “The View.” “I stay true to what Ntozake Shange had written, I didn’t want to change it and water it down.” Perry says he added Hill Harper’s character, a cop who is seemingly sympathetic to the issues faced by the women in the movie. “As a man I just couldn’t let people think that every Black man is this terrible,” he added.