Writer, actor, filmmaker, studio head and media mogul Tyler Perry is the latest celebrity to be the subject of a documentary, “Maxine’s Baby: The Tyler Perry Story.” The title nods to Perry’s late mother, Willie Maxine Perry, who died in 2009. Directed by Armani Ortiz, the documentary is a revealing look at the entertainment behemoth’s abusive childhood, his time as a homeless playwright and his rise to media superstar.
Ortiz began filming Perry in 2016, just a year after moving to Atlanta from New York to work at Tyler Perry Studios. To date, Ortiz’s directorial credits span more than 100 episodes of televised content.
In the doc, Ortiz and co-director Gelila Bekele (Perry’s former partner) chronicle not only Perry’s road to the top but also his battle with Hollywood naysayers, the 2019 opening of his eponymous 330-acre studio in Atlanta, as well as the ongoing debate about Perry’s work, which some critics believe perpetuates negative images of Black people.
The Amazon MGM Studios and Bekele Films documentary will make its world premiere at AFI Fest Oct. 27 and will begin streaming on Prime Video Nov. 17.
PvNew spoke to Ortiz about making a doc about a mentor, final cut and why it’s the right time for “Maxine’s Baby: The Tyler Perry Story.”
Is this doc a valentine or love letter to Tyler Perry?
No. I wouldn’t call it a love letter. I would consider the documentary exactly that: a documentary reflecting on this man’s life. Where he came from to where he is now. Hopefully the audience can learn a little bit more about him, but also see themselves in the film and say, “OK. If I am going through a similar situation, maybe I can achieve my dreams as well.”
Was it intimidating to make a film about one of your mentors?
Everything that T.P. was doing was so monumental. So it was like, this is only going to happen once, and I have the burden of responsibility to truly capture the moment. For instance, the grand opening of the new Tyler Perry Studios was the scariest moment of all because it was so beautiful and so grand. It was so important that I stay completely on my game. I said to myself, “You can’t miss a thing.” But T.P. being my mentor over these years, he’s been so graceful and is always like, “Let me teach you about this. Let me teach you about that. This is why we’re doing this.” So he puts down the barriers and makes me feel less scared.
Why do you think Perry wanted you and Gelila to make a doc about his life?
I never asked him that question. Working at the studio and seeing all the types of people that T.P. gives opportunities to and what he has built and is building, I think that this was the perfect time for a documentary about him because it’s just such an uplifting story.
With approximately 500 terabytes of footage, did you ever consider making this project a series as opposed to a 115-minute doc?
No, because it would have taken another 10 years. We always knew in our heads that it felt like a feature documentary. So there was never really a conversation about making it a series.
Was there any debate about including critics of Perry’s film work in the doc?
The goal for me and Gelila was to absolutely give everyone an opportunity to speak on how they feel about T.P. and his work. So it wasn’t really so much a conversation of like, “Oh, should we put it in, or should we not put it in?” We wanted to include [the criticism] so that the audience can watch and decide how they feel about T.P. It would go against what we feel as filmmakers if we didn’t include criticisms.
Did you and Gelila have final cut, or did Perry have final cut?
No. T.P. wasn’t involved at all in making this documentary. We had final cut.
