Tyler Perry is opening up about his former friendship with the late Cicely Tyson, who he once paid a whopping $1 million for a day’s work because he wanted her to know that people truly valued her. The Hollywood filmmaker sat down for an interview with AARP The Magazine for the publication’s August/September cover story, recalling how he had paid her the sum after joining forces on his 2007 film “Why Did I Get Married?”
Tyler appeared to have been aware that Cicely, who at that point had already starred in a string of hit movies, including “Sounder” and “Because of Winn-Dixie,” was never fairly compensated for her work in the film industry — and that didn’t sit well with him. Though they had worked together prior to their collaboration in 2007, the 52-year-old made her a million-dollar offer to show how appreciated she was.
“This woman had done so many amazing things, but she wasn’t well compensated for it,” he told the magazine. “She made $6,000 for Sounder, you know? I wanted to make sure she knew that there were people who valued her. It makes me feel great that I was in a position to give this incredible woman some security in her latter years.”
Tyler wasn’t a friend of Cicely, he was a frequent collaborator of hers, having also worked together on films such as “Diary of a Mad Black Woman,” “Madea’s Family Reunion,” and “Why Did I Get Married Too?”
Following her death, the “Gone Girl” star also attended Cicely’s funeral after having paid a heartfelt tribute on his official Instagram page to mourn the loss of someone who was as close to him as some of his own family members.
“My heart breaks in one beat while celebrating her life in the next,” Tyler wrote. “To think that she lived for 96 years and I got to be a part of the last 16 brings me great joy. She called me son. Well, today your son grieves your loss and will miss our long talks, your laughter from your belly, and your very presence.”
“Always so regal, always so classy, always a lady, always a queen,” Tyler continued. “Every time we would talk I would ask, ‘How are you?’ and you would say, ‘I’m still here. He must have something he wants me to do.’ Well, I think it’s safe to say you have done all you were put here to do, and we are all better for it.”