Tyler Perry’s Indescribable Truth

Tyler Perry is most famous now for his films, but he has his beginnings as a playwright. This is where Madea’s character was first born, and many of Perry’s films are based on plays he wrote. However, Perry did not initially seek to be a writer. But after battling depression and a childhood of abuse, he was inspired by something he heard on the Oprah Winfrey show – that writing could be a therapeutic tool. So he began to write a series of letters dealing with his deeply personal issues. Eventually, Perry began to compile enough of these letters that he felt like they needed to be shared with the world.

These letters inspired Perry’s first play, “I Know I’ve Been Changed”. Deeply personal work that immediately solidified how Perry’s projects are full of life lessons, this inaugural play struggled to gain attention at first. When it was first broadcast, only 30 people showed up, and according to Biography, Perry had to work random jobs and live out of his car while taking the show in different cities. Eventually, he found success in Atlanta, with the play spawning his devoted fan base. Who knew that a bunch of personal letters would be the inspiration behind such a long and successful career?

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