The Family That Preys - BEHIND THE SCENES

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"Tyler Perry's The Family That Preys"
BEHIND THE SCENES
by Tim Nasson
September 11, 2008

Watch "The Family That Preys" Trailer

With THE FAMILY THAT PREYS, Tyler Perry focuses his attention on the elusive idea of happiness – how we attain and protect it and what can happen when family members are overtaken by power and greed. Charlotte and Alice become forced to reevaluate their lives when one suffers a personal tragedy. Together they share a newfound commitment to self-discovery and search for greater personal fulfillment.

The film is somewhat of a departure for Perry whose previous films have all primarily centered on African-American characters. “I wanted to do something different this time,” explains Perry, “I originally started out telling a story about infidelity, and then went in a whole other direction with these two families who have members preying on one another.”

Producer Reuben Cannon sees this film as not simply a departure for Perry, but also an exciting and daring creative move for the young filmmaker. “Tyler’s audience expands with each new film,” says Cannon, “and they join him on his journey and the journey of his characters.”

As with all of Tyler Perry’s films, the idea for THE FAMILY THAT PREYS grew out of his own personal experience. “I was going through this time in my life where I was having a lot of success, but I wasn’t happy,” shares the talented young actor-producer-director, whose film career includes a string of hit feature films, skyrocketing DVD sales, a New York Times best-selling book and the hit cable television series “House of Payne.” As the only African-American to ever own a major motion picture and television production facility, the New Orleans native admits that even with his litany of accolades and professional achievements, he had to learn to simply be happy. “I just decided, ‘you know what? I want to live today because tomorrow’s not promised.’ That’s what it came down to for me.”

Charlotte Cartwright is a wealthy, widowed businesswoman running a successful contracting company started by her late husband. Charlotte’s life is complicated by the demands created from her philandering son and his unsavory business practices which repeatedly force her hand. Charlotte finally takes stock of her own life after receiving some personal devastating news. Blindsided, she decides to throw caution to the wind and embark on an unforgettable road trip with her best friend, Alice (Woodard) to recapture the joy of being carefree.

As mutual fans of one another’s work, Bates and Woodard had hoped for many years to someday work together, waiting for the right project to avail itself. So when this opportunity finally arose, Bates says she jumped at it. “Alfre is the main reason I did the film,” shares the actor turned director. “She’s such an incredible actress, a wonderful human being and a great activist. Working with her has given me deep, deep pleasure.”

Flattered by Perry’s invitation to star in the film, Woodard was equally as thrilled with the opportunity to star alongside Bates, an actor whom she likewise greatly admires. “Actors talk about using their bodies as instruments and Kathy is like playing a Stradivarius,” says Woodard. There’s nothing finer. “There are times when you’re reminded of why you got into this whole discipline in the first place and Kathy and I have shared some of those moments.”

Perry feels he received two of the best creative gifts on this film – the opportunity to collaborate with both Bates as well as Woodard. It was producer Reuben Cannon who suggested casting the two acting heavyweights, but Perry was uncertain they would accept. “I just thought, there’s no way Academy-Award® winning actress Kathy Bates - the “Misery” woman, will do my film,” recalls a jubilant Perry. As it turns out, Perry’s high expectations about working with Bates were far exceeded. “The first scene I shot with Kathy was in a church and the camera is moving around the sanctuary, then it lands on Kathy’s face,” Perry recalls. “The woman didn’t say a word – and she just wrecked the whole place just by the look on her face – that’s how powerful she is.”

Says Bates “one of the wonderful things about being older is that your life is full of so many emotional experiences, you have so many things to call on…Alfre and I were both very full emotionally and we could bring all of that to these scenes.”

As Charlotte’s best friend, Alice Pratt, Woodard portrays a disciplined, conservative woman of humble means and high ethical standards who owns a small diner and remains supportive of her two adult daughters (Sanaa Lathan and Taraji P. Henson). As a true pioneer among African-Americans in the film industry, Woodard’s stellar film and television repertoire includes multiple accolades including an Oscar® nomination in 1983 for “Cross Creek.” “Working with Alfre has been such joy,” says Perry. “I would give her direction to see where she would go, like ‘be more gentle with it’ – and she’d adjust to a place that would make me go ’Whoa! She is absolutely amazing!’”

Always excited by the creative process, Woodard also welcomed the opportunity to work with a young up and coming filmmaker. “Self discovery and the cohesion between actor and director is what makes you feel like you’re making a picture with your big brother,” shares Woodard.

The feeling of familiarity was especially present between Woodard and her co-stars Sanaa Lathan and Taraji P. Henson. “It’s a great present to me getting to work with Sanaa and Taraji who are two of the most talented and exciting young actors of their age group,” says Woodard. This film marks the third time that Woodard has starred alongside Lathan in the role of mother and daughter.

In portraying Andrea, the first in her family to graduate from college, Lathan’s character struggles to reconcile her modest, working class background with the more affluent lifestyle she desires and vehemently pursues for herself. “She’s a climber,” says Lathan. Unfortunately the choices she makes to improve her circumstances on her way up the ladder make “Andrea” ruthless to the core. While standing alongside her new husband Chris (Rockmond Dunbar) on their wedding day, Andrea meets the man with whom she eventually engages in a passionate five-year affair. “I guess I would call her the villainess,” says Lathan. “She’s not the most honest person and does not have much integrity,” says the Yale drama school graduate who admits it was difficult to play such an unsympathetic and calculating woman. “At times I wanted to play against her meanness, but Tyler would push me saying ‘she’s ruthless, she’s cold,” says Lathan. “I guess there are people like that, so you can’t judge the character.”

Andrea clashes constantly with her more level headed, down-to-earth sister Pam (Taraji P. Henson). Henson’s character provides hope for her family as they struggle to overcome marital infidelity and financial scandal. Happily married to a working class construction worker (Tyler Perry), she is content with the simplicity of her life.

Perry had his heart set on casting Henson, a Washington, D.C. native whom the director had met while attending the NAACP Images Awards. Little did he know, Henson had spotted him at the same event before he could make his way over. “I remember thinking, ‘Oh there’s Tyler, so I ran over to him between a break and we hugged,” Henson recalls. Touched by the “soulfulness in her eyes,” Perry says he was also moved by the versatility of her riveting performance in “Hustle and Flow.” But then, “after I saw her in ‘Talk To Me,’ I said ‘I’ve got to work with this woman because she’s a firecracker and a ball of fun.”

Henson welcomed the chance to add Pam to her slate of characters – this time playing the virtuous and moral sister opposite Lathan’s ruthless “Andrea.” She also feels grateful to Tyler for casting her, “I’d done some pretty gritty characters before this film and some people might not have been able to see me in this role, but Tyler has this great way of thinking out of the box and of mixing old Hollywood with new Hollywood very successfully,” she says adding, “This film is about love and money and how those things can destroy a family,” explains Henson.

Perhaps best known for his starring role as a dedicated and loving dad on Showtime’s long running television drama “Soul Food,” actor/producer Rockmond Dunbar plays Chris, a blue-collar construction worker married to Lathan’s “Andrea” who is committed to providing for his family. Yet despite his best efforts, Chris’s marriage and the paternity of his son are threatened by his wife’s affair.

“I’m one of those men who loves his wife through and through,” says Dunbar. “But she’s an adulteress and I’m sort of gullible. There’s a point in the film where you go ‘wow, you didn’t see that coming!’” A fan of Perry’s work, Dunbar enjoyed being a part of the ensemble cast as well as part of the legacy he feels Perry is building. “Several friends of mine who had worked with Tyler said he was incredible. They told me, ‘you can expect this and you can expect that’ and Tyler lived up to every preconception I had of him,” shares Dunbar. “He works extremely hard, he’s very particular about things, and knows exactly what he wants from everyone.”

Cole Hauser plays Charlotte’s son, Nick Cartwright, a young man driven by professional ambition and desire. No stranger to playing the role of villains, as with his role in John Singleton’s “2 Fast 2 Furious,” Hauser welcomed the challenge of portraying a darker character.

“I usually play the role of the ‘hero,’” says Hauser, “and at times, those roles can be boring to portray and even dull for audiences to watch. So I enjoy playing a character like ‘Nick.’” As a philandering husband who’s hell bent on replacing his mother as head of their family-owned corporation, Hauser insists that he still digs down deep to find the good in his character. “I’m a good guy, married with kids, but I’ve got some other things stuff going on that’s affecting people’s lives.”

As secret lovers in the film, Hauser and Lathan portray a couple carrying on a long-term affair unbeknownst to their spouses. “In the grand scheme of things, the audience will probably look at our characters and think negatively of us, but people do cheat on their wives and husbands and sometimes they fall in love. So we really fought to show our connection.”

Says Cannon, “Their characters are indicative of the kind of narcissistic and self-indulgent people who do what they want because they’re completely selfish….I think they both do a fantastic job at bringing that scenario to light.”

A professional thrill for Hauser was the opportunity to work opposite Bates. Because of the contentious nature of their mother/son relationship – with him trying to replace her as head of their family business at every turn – all of their scenes were adversarial. “We did a scene together where we’re sitting in the boardroom looking at each other smiling, not in a pleasant way, but like two evil people,” Hauser recalls. “I’m thinking to myself, ‘I learned to be crafty and sneaky because of the way you raised me as a woman’,” he says.

Bates recalls that scene fondly. “That was my very first scene with him and we’re at our most ferocious with each other, so that was a lot of fun to start off that way,” she says. At one point, Hauser started making up lines while the cameras were rolling that were not in the script. “That really pissed me off – which was good for the scene,” recalls Bates. “We had good chemistry together.”

Rounding out the ensemble cast of PREYS, actress KaDee Strickland portrays Jillian Cartwright, Hauser’s naïve and supportive wife who is blindsided when she learns of her husband’s affair. “Cole called me the minute he got in town and said ‘let’s talk about our relationship’ recalls Strickland, who had worked with Hauser on a previous project. “I appreciate him so much for that because it helped create the history between us, so that when you have to play this huge fight or loving moment, there’s someone opposite you who’s invested as well.”

Calling Bates and Woodard “human anchors,” Strickland was thrilled as an evolving actress to have an opportunity to work with them. “These women are powerhouses, luminous human beings that have such humanity about them, you can’t deny it and it was wonderful to be in their midst.”

Principal photography began in early March of 2008 and the cast and crew shot on location for five weeks in Atlanta, New Orleans and briefly in Arizona.