Tyler Perry opens up about the criticism he faced while looking for actors to play the new film

Writer, director and producer Tyler Perry took time out to chat with Janine Rubenstein, host of the PEOPLE Every Day podcast, about his upcoming new film.

Tyler Perry has described his new project, A Jazzman’s Blues, as “very different” from his previous films as it centers around the theme of forbidden love and is set in the 1940s. A Jazzman’s Blues will fall under the straight drama category and the filmmaker explained how close this film is to his heart as it is the first screenplay he has ever written.

Perry wrote the screenplay in 1995 but explained that he prepared the audience over the years before finally bringing the film to life.

“I built the table, strengthened the brand so I can branch out and do the other things I care about,” he said.

Perry successfully built a strong brand for his name by becoming a co-owner of Viacom’s BET+ and founding his own production company in Atlanta: Tyler Perry Studios.

During his years in the entertainment industry, Perry has helped black and brown actors launch their acting careers. However, for all his success, the author still faced criticism in Hollywood when it came to finding the right actors for his new film.

He talked about reaching out to a lot of “up and coming young stars who were getting a lot of attention and asking them if they could do the role.” He noted that every star who read his script loved it, but their team was reluctant to work with him.

“I guess they didn’t know how it would turn out.”

The Madea creator finally found his two leads, Joshua Boone and Solea Pfeiffer, and admitted the film exceeded his expectations.

“Too bad, so sad for them because the people who play in it made exactly what it’s supposed to be. It’s better than I ever imagined,” he told Rubenstein.

“I can’t wait for all the people – I know their names – who turned it down to see it and see what those people got on film.”

A Jazzman’s Blues is scheduled to be released by Netflix on September 23, 2022.