Tyler Perry first came to national audience's attention with his film Diary of a Mad Black Woman. But to his leagues of fans that had seen his traveling plays all around the country, he was already a star. By financing his films himself, he retained complete creative control and made exactly what he wanted to make: films about hope and love and family.

Two days before his latest film I Can Do Bad All By Myself came out in theaters nationwide, six of us got on the phone to talk with him about his film and the inimitable Madea.

So many of your characters are these flawed sinners who, at the end of the film, both repent and are redeemed by God. Madea, however, is this unchanging force of nature. What do you think her spiritual life looks like, and is she meant to teach the audience anything?

Tyler:    First of all, Madea doesn't have a spiritual life. In this movie, she tries to tell a Bible story to a young kid, and it is the worst thing that you will ever hear. She talks about Noah in the St. Louis Arch picking up Peter when he was drowning because Peter got distracted when he was walking on the water with Jesus and saw Jonah in the belly of the whale. That's what she knows about the Bible.

What I found in plays is that this character, irreverent as she is, is very disarming and makes people comfortable. So what I've used her for is as a tool to get people to laugh and relax so I can talk about God and faith and mention the name of Jesus in my films. It has worked. It has served its purpose very well, and I've seen lots of people who don't go to church, who have no concept of God, who have never really thought about it, begin to change their lives because of something they see in the film when a character changes their life.

Reuben Cannon (producer) has said this is a "Landmark Tyler Perry film, original in so many ways," and I wanted to ask about your perspective on that.

Tyler:    I don't know how much originality is in it, because I've done a few of these now and they all pretty much have the same theme running through them. What's different and unique is what I did is that it's the closest any of my plays have been translated to film because there's so much music in it.

Pastor Marvin Winans' sermon and song were so powerful that I didn't cut it or edit it down. I left it as it is, and you feel the anointing when you watch it. In that sense, it's very powerful and very strong. That's what makes it a little different from the others.

What is it that you're hoping audiences will take away from this film experience? What do you want them to leave the theater thinking about?

Tyler:     One word: Hope. That's it. Knowing that there is hope and no matter what situation you're going through or how you're going through it, there is hope. That's what I would love for people to walk away with; knowing that no matter how dark it may be in your life, or if you have family problems, maybe that family will come around and love you the way you should be loved. And if you're looking for love, you shouldn't judge it by the package it comes in.

There's hope in every situation, and God forgives all of those situations. It's all about hope.

You always have one man who is a really bad guy without redemption. Yet you have all these other flawed characters that are offered redemption. Why not give the bad guys the same opportunity?

Tyler:    That would be very powerful and a really great statement that I'm going to explore in the next film, because you know what, I never thought about it. Part of it may be my own personal thing in dealing with years and years and years of my father being this person who is as dark and evil as he wants to be. He's in his late 60s now and still has not changed.

Maybe I'm waiting for him to change so that I can see some other people be redeemed. I don't know. That's a great point.

Your films have become increasingly popular without the need of the usual press screenings and coverage. Can you describe the impact that word of mouth and reputation have had for your movie projects?

Tyler:    I was on the road doing 300 shows a year. As I would do them, I was building an audience long before I ever went to Hollywood. So when I did my first film, A Diary of a Mad Black Woman, I had built an audience of millions of people who were loyal and went to see that film. They allowed me and afforded me the opportunity to do it the way I feel it should be done.

The word of mouth has spread like wildfire over the years. People keep asking me what I'm going to do to crossover, but I've always felt that if I maintain what I'm doing and tell the same stories that audiences would grow as they find it. It all starts with that base of a few million people who started the word of mouth in their own communities and neighborhoods.

The audience is different now. It's bigger and growing, and includes more races and cultures. It's fantastic to see it expand, because what I wanted to do was make sure the message I'm telling is the same. I want people to know that it's safe for children, kind of like when you see the name Walt Disney on the movie. When people see Tyler Perry on a movie, I want them to associate it with faith, family, God, and all those positive things.

Given that you've demonstrated the power of building an audience without the usual Hollywood press machine, do you think that others will follow your footsteps?

Tyler:    I would hope so because I think that's why the voice of God, family, love and peace are missing from Hollywood. As more people take the bull by the horns and step out in faith to be independent, I think that more stories like mine or better will be made.

I'm hoping that I'm an example for new filmmakers excited about doing their product a certain way won't compromise.

You were in this year's Star Trek movie. Are you a Trekkie?

Tyler:    No, I was never a Trekkie, but I was a JJ Abrams fan, and when the script came, it came at a time that I had a couple of weeks open. It was a small role and I wanted to see what it was like being on someone else's set. It was a lot of fun, and I'm looking forward to doing other people's films.

Photos courtesy Quantrell Colbert and LionsGate™ Entertainment.