He’s piled on the pounds wearing a fat suit in ‘ Madea’, but these days Tyler Perry is packing on the muscle.
According to the Daily Mail, the 43-year-old director and actor has shed nearly 14kgs in preparation for his role as the iconic detective Alex Cross, star of the James Patterson crime novel ‘Cross’.
Perry, whose film work includes popular films like ‘Why Did I Get Married’, the ‘Madea’ series, and ‘Diary of a Mad Black Woman’ , says he turned to the Israeli martial art Krav Maga ina bit to burn fat.
“When I started doing the movie, I did Krav Maga, that's kind of like UFC, I really got into it, dropping a lot of weight.
“It's Israeli fighting, mixed martial arts, really great, but it's a kick a** work out.”
Perry also employed a personal trainer to get him into shape, and took on a diet of egg whites, ground turkey chili and grilled chicken breasts. He’s more than happy with the results.
“I feel it’s OK to be thought of as sexy,” he told Men’s Health magazine.
“All my life I’ve tried to hide my height. I was taller than everybody else and stood out, so I would slouch and try to hide it.
“But what I’ve been able to do with my body, I’m owning it. I’m standing up when I walk into a room.”
Perry may be sporting a sexier figure, but he’s still got huge shoes to fill. The role of Cross was previously portrayed by Hollywood heavyweight Morgan Freeman in the films ‘Kiss The Girls’, and ‘Along Came a Spider’.
Perry says he’s excited by the prospect.
“It was super exciting. This character has such an arc. I had a chance to do a lot of different things, a lot of drama and fun and family, and also a lot of action, so it was great,” he said.
“I looked at it as the arc of the character. One thing I looked at is Morgan Freeman. He played god in the movie. You don't ever go behind god in a movie, but once I realized I have to do the best Tyler Perry playing Alex Cross, it worked out all right and I let go.” - IOL