Tyler Perry adds new hue to 'The Family That Preys'

The Atlantan has also road-tested the film in Cleveland and Baltimore. It's difficult to imagine Martin Scorsese or Woody Allen being that concerned about audience feedback after the grueling birthing of a film project.

But Perry knows he has a lot riding on "The Family That Preys." The film stars actresses Kathy Bates and Alfre Woodard as 30-year friends whose children are sleeping and/or scheming with each other.

Bates plays Charlotte Cartwright, a wealthy Atlanta socialite, and Woodard stars as Alice Pratt, the owner of the Wings and a Prayer diner.

Think of it as a kind of hip mash-up of "Dynasty," "Upstairs, Downstairs" and "Thelma and Louise" for the Oprah Winfrey/Gayle King era.

The film hits theaters Friday.

And in his sixth film, Perry for the first time has created a dysfunctional white family to play alongside one of his signature issues-riddled African-American clans.

The film's central theme: Are you living or merely existing?

Clad in a Braves cap and a dress shirt, Perry explains: "This is a little bit of a different film for me. I'm asking the audience to do a lot of thinking. Some movies I just spell things out. But with this, I took a different path. And the audiences have loved it and stayed with it."

'Never knew any white people'

Perry downplays the notion that he created the Cartwrights and cast Bates as its wisecracking, hurricane chugging Southern matriarch in an attempt to widen the loyal fan base that has made his comedies like "Madea's Family Reunion" and his TBS sitcom "House of Payne" box office and ratings hits.

The writer, director and actor says he had a simple reason for not writing about Caucasian characters until now.

"I never knew any white people!" Perry says, laughing.

"Really and truly. I grew up in New Orleans. I went to an all-black school. I lived in an all-black neighborhood. I never knew one white person. Not one.

"I moved here to Atlanta and for 15 years, I didn't know any white people. Now I'm living in a world where I'm meeting all kinds of people. I'm a student of life. So I'm writing from other perspectives. Now I look at a situation and say, 'Oh, this is how this person lives.'"

As Alice and Charlotte, Woodard and Bates form the emotional center of Perry's "Family" even as the drama and several juicy undisclosed family secrets swirl around them.

When Charlotte pulls up to Alice's diner in a vintage convertible Caddy and urges Alice to take a trip with her, Woodard looks the car up and down and says. "I've never seen you drive. Where's Morgan Freeman?!"

"That Morgan Freeman line was totally improvised by Alfre Woodard! I loved it," Perry confides, laughing. "And Kathy Bates could be a stand-up comedian. She is hysterical."

For one of Bates and Woodard's biggest scenes, set in a Grand Canyon motel (but shot at Perry's soon-to-be-vacated Krog Street studios), the director threw out all the fancy camera work and stage direction and just let the actors work.

The result is arguably the most understated and emotionally rich scene Perry has ever captured on film.

"It was important for me to let the actors do the work. I didn't want a whole lot of movement, I just wanted the acting. And they so delivered."

Focus on class

"The Family That Preys" deals chiefly with class and the consequences of bad behavior. But one scene in particular will ring true for anyone who has been in an interracial relationship and experienced societal backlash as a result.

Alice's greedy, social-climbing daughter Andrea (played by a deliciously sinister Sanaa Lathan) is angling for an engagement ring from Bates' heir apparent son William (played by Cole Hauser).

In one climactic scene, Andrea is told in no uncertain terms: "Do you really think William's colleagues would deal with him if you showed up on his arm?"

Perry, who has spent the past year building an expensive new home in Buckhead, says he didn't want this movie to be about race.

"I wanted this to be about class. But I left that line in there. Yeah, [race] is still truly a prevalent issue. Listen to me, I could write a book on my address alone. I'm telling you!"

While the filmmaker would love to see his already intensely devoted audience expand because of "The Family That Preys," he's also OK if it doesn't happen.

"My fan base is so loyal," he says. "I have no complaints. I would love for more people to see this movie for one reason: so they can discover that these are universal stories I'm telling. And there might be something in there that you can walk away from and say, 'Wow, that's awesome. I can use that for me.'"

And while the audience didn't know it at last week's screening, Perry stayed for the entire film to take in the applause when the credits rolled.

With "Madea Goes to Jail" set to hit theaters in February and a script for "Why Did I Get Married 2" on his computer screen, this director appreciates the feedback.

"I never, ever take it for granted. I'm always concerned every time I release a film," Perry says. "I never want to be in the position of saying, 'Oh, this is gonna work.' Last night, I couldn't wait to get home so I could write.

"The audience inspires me," he says, beaming. "I think, 'Oh, God, they got it. Yes!' I left with a big smile on my face."