Page 30 - ARUBA TODAY

A30 PEOPLE & ARTS
Tuesday 3 January 2017
‘Too Close to Home’: Tyler

Perry on all-white starring cast

This image released by TLC The second half of the first really wanted this to work
shows form left to right, Dani- season of Perry’s newest out,” she said. “The nerves
elle Savre as Anna, Brock drama — “Too Close to are still there, because we
O’Hurn as Brody and Crystle Home” — premieres Jan. 4 want it to be really good.
Stewart as Frankie in a scene
from Tyler Perry’s TLC drama on TLC. It’s being nervous and
“Too Close to Home.” The first-ever scripted series excitement at the same
Associated Press for the TLC network, it tells time.”
of a young woman named The series resumes by intro-
JONATHAN LANDRUM Jr. Anna who is forced to flee ducing several dramatic
Associated Press Washington, D.C., after a plot lines. Some power
ATLANTA (AP) — Tyler Perry political scandal involving players in the nation’s capi-
is known for creating op- her affair with the U.S. presi- tal are still hunting for Anna,
portunities for black ac- dent. a love triangle causes a rift
tors. But recently the Afri- A woman of modest be- between Anna and her sis-
can-American filmmaker ginnings, Anna finds refuge ter Bonnie,
weathered a backlash for from the national headlines and Bonnie also unveils a
assembling an all-white in the only place she can: family secret — their father
starring cast for the TLC the trailer park community molested them.
drama series “Too Close to in her hometown of Happy, “I’m sitting back like, ‘Wow,
Home.” Alabama, she once eager- now I know why I left,’”
Perry rejects the criticism, ly left behind. Savre said of her character.
much of it on social me- “Too Close to Home” stars “But I don’t have any-
dia. Some questioned his Danielle Savre (Anna), Kelly where else to go. I really
casting choices, with one Sullivan (Bonnie, Anna’s don’t have a choice.
calling the show an “all sister) and Brock O’Hurn So I’m just taking it all in.
time low” for the producer (Brody). Heather Locklear You get to see why all of us
when the series aired this returns to television as the are really messed up.”
year. president’s scorned first Perry was initially hesitant to
But by the end of the sea- lady and Matt Battaglia as create a new show when
son, those harsh words president. he got a call from David
turned mostly into praise of Following the criticism of Zaslav, the president of Dis-
the series. Perry for having an all-white covery Communications
“That’s totally reverse rac- starring case, — which owns the TLC net-
ism, because it was com- Savre was nervous head- work.
ing from African-American ing into the first season — But once the filmmaker be-
people,” said Perry, speak- never mind that the wider gan creating some of the
ing with The Associated cast beyond its white stars characters in the writing
Press in his office at Tyler is diverse. And once the process, he felt more con-
Perry Studios in Atlanta. show was approved for fident about moving for-
“I don’t know if it was be- eight more episodes, she ward with the project. On
cause they thought I should felt more at ease. the series, he’s the writer,
only be giving jobs to black “We were scared and just director and producer.q
people. Well, I think that’s
ridiculous. If you look at the
hundreds of black people
I’ve given jobs to and even
the ones I’ve made million-
aires, people of color, I just
think it’s unfair.”
These days, the 47-year-old
Perry is more color-blind
than ever. He said his years
traveling the globe and
interacting with people
of varying cultures while
working his ventures in-
cluding his “Madea” stage
play production tours have
helped him see things
through a different lens.
“I’m just finding out more
as I travel the country
and world, the more I
meet people, we’re all
the same,” he said. “We
all got the same dramas.
So I’m not seeing color as
much as I did anymore in
the sense of our stories. Our
stories are so similar.”