Perhaps best known for his Madea movies, Tyler Perry has been a pop culture mainstay for two decades. His recent partnership with Netflix has not only expanded his audience further but has also allowed him to break into new genres. Your latest project is The six triple eighta historical drama based on Kevin M. Hymel's article about the 6888th Battalion, which was the only American unit made up of black women in World War II.
Kerry Washington leads The six triple eight as Major Charity Adams, who was head of the unit in real life. Her reluctance to be relegated to what seems like hard work – sifting through over 17 million pieces of backlog military mail in less than 6 months – becomes a true passion for completing the mission and ensuring her team is treated equally. Another highlight in the film is Ebony Obsidian (who is also on Perry's BET series Sisters), who plays Lena Derriecott King, a recruit who joins the unit after the death of her lover, Abram David (Gregg Sulkin).
TelaRant interviewed Tyler Perry about his research for The six triple eightand how moving it was to talk to Lena about her past experiences. The filmmaker also shared how inspiring the story of the 6888th Battalion is, which he hopes to convey to audiences everywhere.
Tyler Perry assembled the script for The Six Triple Eight from real-life reports and sources
“When I met Lena King at age 99, her memory was incredible.”
ScreenRant: Thank you so much for making this film and bringing attention to the Triple Eights, who pulled off a crazy feat during World War II. What aspects of Kevin's article did you find most compelling, and how did these elements influence the film?
Tyler Perry: Everything. I leaned on Kevin for everything. He was a great historian to make sure I was telling this accurate story, but when I met with Lena King at age 99, her memory was incredible. She informed the story better, and I wanted to make sure that what she was saying was in line with everything else and was accurate, and it was.
ScreenRant: What were some of the surprising insights you gained during your research, meeting Lena and other members of the battalion, and how did that shape your perspective on the film?
Tyler Perry: How young these women were! They were 17, 18, 20 years old. Charity Adams was 26 years old leading all these women, and it still fascinates me to think that this woman could be so brilliant, so strong, and so clear at 26 years old.
ScreenRant: Can you talk about how some of the conversations you had with Oprah influenced your approach to managing and mirroring the stories you found?
Tyler Perry: I didn't lean on Oprah or anyone else to tell the story. I spoke to Lena. I gathered all the historical references I could, and when Lena started talking about her relationship with Abram [David]I thought, “This is the entrance.”
Then she started talking about going into the Army, about meeting Charity and what that meant. I thought, “This is the path I want to take.” When I took the script to Nicole Avant, Keri Selig, and Carlota Espinosa, who were all producers, we all went back and figured out what worked here and what didn't, and we were able to come up with what we have now.
Tyler Perry sees The Six Triple Eight as a totally inspiring story
“I think it speaks to the human experience.”
ScreenRant: Kerry is absolutely incredible in this film. This is a side of her that I had never seen on screen before, and she surprised me with her performance. Can you talk about what qualities of hers as an actress and person made her perfect for Major Charity Adams?
Tyler Perry: I worked with her many, many years ago [in For Colored Girls]and I knew that it had all these different gears that hadn't been explored. You have to have the opportunity to explore them, so I knew she would nail it. I knew she had something there that people hadn't seen before and I challenged her. I took her away from everything she would trust in acting, and we created this character. And she gets it right.
ScreenRant: Another incredible performance is Ebony Obsidian, who plays Lena Derriecott King, who is joining the Six Triple Eight battalion. Can you talk about how Ebony brought Lena to life and what she brought to the role that went beyond the page?
Tyler Perry: First of all, she spent a lot of time with the real Lena King, talking to her and listening to her, capturing her cadence and her voice, and talking to her about the weather. But as an actor, working with her on Sistas for years, I saw how great she was. I also knew she had all these gears and she just needed this moment. And I'm very proud of her; she killed him too.
ScreenRant: How important do you think it is to bring lesser-known stories like this to the forefront of mainstream media?
Tyler Perry: That wasn't my intention. It was not my intention to bring a story that people don't know. But when I heard this story, I was ashamed of not knowing and I was fascinated by it. I told Nicole, “I’m in, let’s make this happen.”
ScreenRant: Same. I was also ashamed of not knowing this story. How do you think Six Triple Eight can inspire viewers to face their own challenges like these women did?
Tyler Perry: Are you kidding me? Looking at what they did, finding your own voice and your own strength and charity. Never giving up, never giving in, always fighting – even when at one point she doubted herself, she still kept going. I think it speaks to the human experience. This will inspire many people. I really believe that.
ScreenRant: I completely agree with you. Can you talk about the feeling you had witnessing Lena salute the screen and express gratitude for its representation of the contributions of black women and the war effort?
Tyler Perry: I filmed all of this, so sitting there with her and having the real Lena watch the movie in the hospice at home was very powerful and moving. I was so glad I got the cut quickly enough for her to try it out before leaving the planet.
More about the six triple eight (2024)
Six Triple Eight is inspired by the first and only black unit of the Women's Army Corps to serve overseas in World War II. Despite facing racism and sexism – and grueling working conditions – they were committed to serving their country with honor and distinction. With an extraordinary mission and united in their determination, these anonymous heroes conveyed hope and destroyed barriers.
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Source: Screen Rant Plus