Perry On Abrams And 'Star Trek XI'

A phone call from a fan of his work lead to the role of the Commander of Starfleet for Tyler Perry.

As reported by Blackvoices.com, J.J. Abrams, a fan of Perry, called him and asked if was interested in a role in Star Trek XI. "I was shocked," said Perry. "The timing was perfect and it was only a week. It's a really small role. It really helped me to see what it's like to be on someone else's set."

Although he runs Starfleet, Perry's role as the Commander is small. "I only had two scenes with the two leads," he said. And working on Star Trek XI has made Perry more interested in the franchise. "I wasn't a Trekkie," he said, "but after seeing the trailer, I may become one."

When asked if Perry was brought on to "bring in a large African-American base to the film," Perry didn't think that was the case. "I don't know if that is what [Abrams] was thinking," said Perry. "Looking at him and talking to him, he is the Jewish version of me. He works on television and works on films. He does not stop. He writes as well. I was watching him work and rework the scene, and there's something about my story that is so similar to him in what I'm doing. I think it intrigued him as much as it intrigued me. I don't think that demographics was the case of me being in the film; because they would have given me a supportive role rather than just a cameo. I think it was about him feeling me out and me about him, and I think it worked out okay."

Star Trek XI was Perry's first movie outside of his own films. "It didn't make sense to do a movie that I can do myself. I don't want you to call me and ask me to do a film about a black family. I can do that myself. I don't want to be in your movie doing that. Now, if you want me to do 'Mission: Impossible', or 'Star Trek' or 'Wolverine', which I was called for but I couldn't do because I was doing 'The Family That Preys', but those sort of films, yes, I can do that."

To read more about Perry and his latest work, head to the article located here.

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