He admitted that the cast and crew in most of his films are African-Americans but that doesn't mean that he would hire black just because of their skin color.
- November 2, 2010
AceShowbiz - Moviemaker Tyler Perry has attacked reports suggesting he only hires African-Americans for his movies, insisting he does not discriminate. An all-black cast for the actor/director's latest film, "For Colored Girls", was expected, but new reports suggest his entire crew was made up of non-white people as well.
But Perry insists he never sets out to create an all-black working environment. He tells WENN, "I don't discriminate. I want to know who's the best for the job but I will ask, 'Is there a black person that is just as good?' when we're in the hiring process because it's very important to me that the kids, 19 and 20-year-old PAs (production assistants) running around, see it."
"They're looking at me but I want to make sure there's a fair representation all around. My make-up department is a black woman, the hair department is a black woman, the producers are black. I've got black grips, black electricians."
"These people are almost non-existent in the business, so trying to find them has been a bit difficult but I hope more people will go into it and bring their best. I'm not gonna hire you just because you're black. You gotta be good at the job because I run a tight ship and we all do above and beyond. Just because you're black, that don't mean you're in. You have to do a good job."
