Kerry Washington Talks Tyler Perry and "Colored Girls" to WSJ

This week there is more buzz on For Colored Girls, Tyler Perry's screen adaptation of Ntozake Shange's Tony-nominated 1975 play For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf.

The play is clearly a departure from Tyler Perry's standard fare and actress Kerry Washington, one of the many accomplished names in the all-star cast, tells the Wall Street Journal that audiences will not be disappointed.

The original stage play is poetic and multilayered–and thus a complete left-field turn for Perry, who is better known for churning out populist money-making vehicles that get slammed by critics for playing on stereotypes and going for cheap laughs and easy sentiment. "I know it’s not fair, but I want to say you had to be there," [Kerry] Washington says of working on the movie. "I’m hoping that when people see the movie, that’s how they feel. If you can imagine going to set and you see chairs that say Macy Gray, Janet Jackson, Phylicia Rashad, Whoopi Goldberg, Kimberly Elise, Thandie Newton. It was breathtaking. We actually kept taking pictures of our chairs because we were so excited to be working together."

And:

“I spoke to Tyler before we started filming and I was really excited about his vision,” Washington says. “I think after producing ‘Precious’ he really showed he was committed to more than one genre of storytelling.” ... She adds that “the fact that you had the number of actresses you did commit to the film” was a sign that the script for Perry’s movie had done justice to the play.

The fabulous Macy Gray also talked to R20 about the movie and Tyler Perry and made similar comments.

You may recall that Kerry Washington won rave reviews for her performance as a transgender prostitute in the intense addiction drama Life is Hot in Cracktown.  If you missed it before, see Kerry Washington's theatrical one-sheet and watch the For Colored Girls trailer WHEN YOU JUMP ...

The release date has been moved up to November for Academy Award season.

Comments

[MickWW]

Glad to hear, can't wait to see the film.

[TheRevKev]

THAT TRAILER IS FIYAH! This was the 1st thing EVER that I saw that made me know I wanted to be a writer and in/near the arts.

I AM PRAYING SO DEEPLY THAT THIS WORK SHATTERS ALL OLD IMAGES OF TYLER (Yes, they are of his own doing) and remakes him into the director I hoped he could be with THE FAMILY THAT PREYS and the original WHY DID I GET MARRIED?

EXCITED!!!!!

[Keith]

Love Kerry and can't wait to see the movie...

[Black Pegasus]

I've always loved Kerry.. She reminds me of that classy Black Popular Chic from high school who defied all stereotypes and transcends race.