Tyler Perry made sure Cicely Tyson knew how much he valued her.
In an interview with AARP, Perry was asked about having given a lot of Black actors a chance, or a second chance, throughout his career.
As the reporter mentioned Taraji P. Henson, Viola Davis and Idris Elba, they then said “and then there’s Cicely Tyson.”
Perry responded, “I’ve never said this publicly, but I took care of Ms. Tyson for the last 15 years of her life. She was a proud woman, and the only reason I mention this is because she wrote it in her book.
“This woman had done so many amazing things, but she wasn’t well compensated for it. She made $6,000 for ‘Sounder’, you know? I wanted to make sure she knew that there were people who valued her.
“So, she did one day of work on my 2007 film ‘Why Did I Get Married?’ I paid her a million dollars. I loved working with her. And it makes me feel great that I was in a position to give this incredible woman some security in her latter years.”
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Perry and Tyson worked together on numerous movies, including 2005’s “Diary of a Mad Black Woman” and 2006’s “Madea’s Family Reunion”.
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Tyson passed away at age 96 on January 28, 2021.
Perry shared an emotional post at the time, revealing how the late actress was “the grandmother I never had.”
See his full message below.
