Tyler Perry has opened up about directing Oprah Winfrey for the first time in his latest film, Netflix’s The Six Triple Eight, despite their nearly 20-year friendship.
The film tells the remarkable, untold story of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, the only all-Black, all-female troop to serve in Europe during World War II. Known as the “Six Triple Eight,” these 855 women played a crucial role in the war effort by sorting a staggering three-year backlog of 17 million pieces of mail, significantly boosting morale among troops.
Kerry Washington leads the cast as Major Charity Adams, the unit’s commander, while Winfrey portrays Mary McLeod Bethune, the trailblazing educator, activist, and civil rights leader who championed opportunities for Black women in the armed forces.
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“I had to find the right thing for her,” Perry told Variety during the film’s press junket. “All these years we’ve been friends, I knew we’d work together eventually, but it had to be something worthy of her. She’s not a Madea kind of girl—I couldn’t picture her sitting across from Madea having a conversation.”
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Perry and Winfrey’s professional connection dates back to 2001, when Perry appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show, shortly before his rise to prominence as a filmmaker and playwright. Perry also played a key role in the early success of Winfrey’s OWN network, producing hit series like The Haves and the Have Nots. When Perry began developing The Six Triple Eight, his 25th feature film, he knew it was the perfect project to finally collaborate with Winfrey.
“To have her play Mary McLeod Bethune—someone who represented so much to so many—felt like the right fit,” Perry explained. “And what Oprah represents today mirrors that same significance.”
Winfrey’s portrayal of Bethune includes scenes alongside Sam Waterston as President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Susan Sarandon as Eleanor Roosevelt.
At the film’s red carpet premiere, Winfrey addressed Perry’s perception that she wouldn’t take on a role in his lighter comedies. “Never say never,” she quipped before heading into the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood.
The Six Triple Eight will debut in select theaters on December 6 and begin streaming on Netflix on December 20.
Watch the trailer below.
