By: Amanda Anderson-Niles
Movie producer Tyler Perry’s latest film Temptation may have done solid at the box office, but it’s easily one of his most controversial films to date. Not only did he get ripped to shreds by critics for his rather dubious storyline that was centered around very Christian themes that most critics just couldn’t appreciate, but he also opted to give future baby mama to Kanye West and reality star Kim Kardashian a role in the movie. Tyler made it very clear in interviews that he wanted Kim for the role because it figured it would bring more people out to the theaters, but some of his most loyal supporters still made it clear that they felt Kim’s role was unnecessary. Actress Essence Atkins (A Haunted House) also suggested that she too felt Kim’s role in the movie was a waste, especially since it didn’t manage to bring more people out to the theaters than usual for a Tyler Perry film. She tells Sister 2 Sister Magazine:
“I found it interesting that Tyler did that with Temptation, hiring Kim Kardashian because she has 16 million Twitter followers, which would seem like a brilliant marketing plan. He has one of the biggest Twitter personalities out there in his movies, and he had one of the worst box office weekends. It’s not a failure, but it did worse than his movies usually do just based on him. I thought that was an interesting finding. You’re experiment didn’t work.
“People want to see good stories. It’s not necessarily that they want to see Kim Kardashian in a movie. They want to see her in a bikini. They want to see her with Kanye [West]. They want to see her on her show talking about her life with her sisters, but that doesn’t mean that they want to see her in a movie. The fact that people want to see their lives and the volatility of that…. I don’t’ think that it translates at all.”
Essence’s comments didn’t bode well with die hard Kim K. and Tyler Perry fans. They came for her Twitter mentions in no time, but Essence is standing by her comments and defended her opinion. She tweets (read from the top to bottom):
(Tweetlonger)
There was nothing wrong with what she said. Tyler and Kim’s fans need to have a seat. The movie didn’t do bad, but it didn’t crossover like Tyler thought it would. The next time he should put more energy into writing a compelling film and casting better actors. Then just maybe he could have a crossover film.
#COSIGN
She said the truth. I heard the movie was terrible. So I will wait until it comes out on RedBox. #shrugs
Those Tyler Perry fans do not play! LOL.
They honestly need to calm down. She didn’t say anything disrespectful or tell any lies. The movie opened third in it’s first week (I think), and the same people who always support his movies came out as usual.
Tyler Perry is a terrible filmmaker. Why black folks go out in droves to support his sh-tty movies I’ll never understand.
LOL! You’re a fool.
Stop The Hate,black actors had PLENTY of roles for decades-as maids/butlers,criminals and other stereotypes
Wait, I’m on your side! 😉
She might be saying the truth but it coming from a place of jealousy. Is she mad her last movie with Marlon (A Haunted House) flopped?
Ugh, A Haunted House did not flop. In fact, it did VERY well. It did better than Scary Movie 5 is doing and got a green light for a sequel. So yeah, she has no reason to be jealous. Her movie did better than Kim’s.
WHO CARES ABOUT THAT COONING A**-CLOWN TYLER PERRY OR HIS CRAPPY MOVIES!!!!Kim Kardashian can wait for some other stupid,a**-loving black dude to rescue her-until she gloms onto his caish,that is!!!!!
Damn Essence. You better get people together on Twitter. LOL.
Honestly, she spoke truth here. We all were giving Tyler the side eye when we heard he casted Kim. It was all about marketing and it failed. The movie didn’t do as well as he thought it would.
The truth hurts. She just said what everyone with a brain was thinking. I saw the movie and I wish I hadn’t.
Like most Tyler Perry films, this movie sucked! And it’s not all Kim’s fault either.
Why are some of y’all hating on a black man making movies?! He’s giving black actors jobs! Stop the hate and support!
_/ <— SIT
I cosign….Before we did not have as much African American movies other than gang bang shoot’em ups. So now that we have some good decent movies, people want to be critics. Its like the slave mentality all the time. You should be happy he is an African American putting other African Americans to work. Why dont all the critics write a good movie and employee these actors and see what you can do better!!!
I have to give Essence a round of applause on this one. Kim can get her money, that’s cool. But Tyler should have written a better plot and hired better actors to at least pick up where she dropped the ball. He didn’t do that.
Stop the hate,LOTS of black actors had jobs in the 10’s through the 60’s….playing maid-see:Hattie McDa-
niel (“Mammie” in “Gone With The Wind”),butlers/eye-rolling sycophants (Lincoln “Stepin Fetchit” Perry,
Mantan Moreland,Willie “Sleep ‘N Eat” Best,to name three of the VERY WORST stereotypes),criminals and other parts no white man or woman would be expected to take.The task is to get this black Canadian lad,60 July 6,with boyish good looks,a muscular build-I’m 5’9″,200-205 lb. with 18-inch arms-
and a black cowboy stud appearance leading man roles!!!!
Yes!
So is Tyler Perry paying his writers what they deserve yet? That’s what I want to know!
I liked the movie and Kim Kardashian did well in it. So why is there hate for Kim for being in this film?
At least she stood by her comments, which is more than what I can say for other celebrities that make statements that stans don’t like. And Tyler Perry prays on the same stereotypes that other dierectors do, people just ignore it because he’s black. Isn’t Madea a big walking “ghetto grandma” stereotype? Sad to say I wasted brain cells on this movie too. It was horrible and Kim cannot act outside of Keeping up with the Kardashians