Prolific filmmaker Tyler Perry this week defended his decision to cast socialite and reality-television starlet Kim Kardashian in his latest project. The writer-director took to his official blog to justify the move which earned raspberries from across the gossip and media blogosphere.
Kardashian’s supporting role in a film called “The Marriage Counselor” earned added scrutiny, not to mention a whopping dose of irony, thanks to the rapid disintegration of her highly publicized marriage to basketball player Kris Humphries.
Perry admits he didn’t anticipate such vociferous blowback. “I could not have imagined I’d be getting all these emails about Kim Kardashian,” he writes. “I have seen them! You have been heard! Now, may I say something? Can a brother get a word in? Y’all gave me a new movie title: ‘Tyler Perry’s Diary of a Mad Black Woman Cause You Hired Kim Kardashian, Don’t Make Me Take Off My Earrings and Boycott Yo Ass.‘ Some of my ladies are upset. Okay, all jokes aside, can I have my say? Will you at least hear me out?”
In the film, Jurnee
Smollett plays a young woman named Judith who gets married and moves from a Virginia trailer park to the big city where she finds work as a matchmaker (Vanessa Williams). Her coworkers include Kardashian’s character, who attempts to influence Judith in various ways.
“Judith meets a man at work named Harley (Robbie Jones),” notes Perry. “Harley challenges everything in her life from her marriage to her husband to her faith.” In the end, she has to face up to the consequences of her decisions.
Perry stressed the importance for young people to watch a film starring actors in their age group that explores “what happens in life when you make the wrong choices.” His advisors recommended Kardashian for the film due to her large following of young women and girls.
“If one of those young people see this film and find the strength to live a better life and not go through what these characters went through in this movie, then we have all done what I feel I’m being led to do here.”
Perry “must have been on a drug called ‘all about me’ when he wrote his open letter,” blogs ThyBlackMan.com. “To complicate matters, he defends his choice by stating ‘millions of youth look up to Kim.’ Most parents should be concerned about that statement.”
“The ‘kasting’ was wonderfully, unintentionally timely, and also completely absurd. I’m sold,” snarks the PopWatch blog at EW.com. “Apparently the irony has been lost on Perry’s dedicated fan-base.”
CLICK HERE for the full letter at Perry’s website.