Was it a conversation though? The exchange lasted exactly 8 minutes.
He sat straight up, perfectly groomed in an armchair. A large, elegantly dressed man - completely assured.
I’ve often wondered how it would be to sit for days in these junkets where a different journalist lobs similar questions at you every 5 to 10 minutes.
Tyler Perry is focused. He is all business. He gives me 3 sentence responses. He repeats the themes that he wants highlighted in the media. He does not chat.
He is so schooled in media, acting, directing, that I don’t know what a spontaneous gesture could be from him. He looks directly through the camera at me. I on the other hand am nervous, constantly checking my notes (gotta work on that).
My goal is to at least make him look off to the side with something that was off script and that he needed to consider.
My other goal was to make him smile.
Did both.
Mission accomplished.