Tyler Perry SaysThe Six Triple EightStar Oprah Winfrey Is ‘Like Every Actor’ in This Relatable Way (Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

Tyler Perry and Oprah Winfrey in December 2023.Photo:Gilbert Flores/Variety/Getty

Gilbert Flores/Variety/Getty

Oprah Winfreyis a boss in every sense of the word, but when she worked withTyler Perryon his new movieThe Six Triple Eight, she deferred to the director.

The former talk show host, 70, is “like every actor,” Perry, 55, tells PEOPLE at the Los Angeles premiere of the film on Tuesday, Dec. 3.

“They want to know that they’re doing a great job and they want to know that the director’s happy. She’s no different,” Perry says. “She wanted to know that she was doing a great job, and she did fantastic.”

The Six Triple Eighttells the true story of the only all-Black unit of the Women’s Army Corp to serve in Europe in World War II.

Oprah Winfrey as Mary McLeod Bethune in a ‘The Six Triple Eight’ scene.Netflix

Netflix

Winfrey playsfamed educator and civil rights activist Mary McLeod Bethune, who was friends with first lady Eleanor Roosevelt (Susan Sarandon). It was their influence that spurred President Franklin D. Roosevelt (Sam Waterston) to have the women sent overseas for the vital mission. “No mail, low morale,” was the motto at the time.

Though Perry and Winfrey have collaborated on other projects over the years — the director has had multiple series onWinfrey’s OWN network— this film marks the first time he has directed his friend of two decades.

Perry, who also co-wroteThe Six Triple Eight, had been searching for a project he could present to Winfrey.

“Bringing her an opportunity that she thought would be something that she would lean into was something that I’ve been looking for for years,” Perry explains.

Tyler Perry and the ‘The Six Triple Eight’ cast.Laura Radford / Perry Well Films 2 / Courtesy of Netflix

Laura Radford / Perry Well Films 2 / Courtesy of Netflix

“When we start talking about Mary McLeod Bethune, I’m thinking, ‘Okay, yes, Mary McLeod Bethune it is.’ And for her to do it —  and do such a great job — is wonderful,” he adds.

In a 2022 interview with film critic Elvis Mitchell, Perry opened up about his friendship with Winfrey, whom he first met in 2001 when he was a guest on her eponymous talk show.

“I remember walking into the studio and there she was in this lavender dress, and she had these shoes that had silver keys on. I’ll never forget it,” he said.

Tyler Perry and Oprah Winfrey on Dec. 3, 2024.Michael Buckner/Variety/Getty

Michael Buckner/Variety/Getty

“I was onstage talking to her. It was all surreal for me, and I felt very much like, ‘I know you. I know you so well. We’re friends.’ We had just met. It was years later that we actually became friends, but from that moment I knew it,” Perry said.

“Everything you see on television is who she is,” he continued. “To know her personally, to have her as a friend, to have her as a confidant, somebody I can call anytime to talk about anything, has been really a treat in my life and one of the greatest blessings.”

The Six Triple Eightpremieres on Netflix on Friday. Dec. 20.

source: people.com