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That's when a friend asked Perry, "Are you living or just existing?"

The question stuck in his head.

Soon after, Perry was driving down the road when Lee Ann Womack's "I Hope You Dance" came on the radio. He turned it up loud: Time is a wheel in constant motion / Rolling us along / Who wants to look back and their years and wonder / Where all those years have gone?

Those lyrics inspired Perry to write The Family That Preys, a relationship drama starring Kathy Bates and Alfre Woodard that stands to widen his audience beyond the "African-American" comedy for which he is known.

"I don't think it's taking a chance," he says. "There are so many sides of who I am as a man. The silliness of Madea and Meet the Browns, the over-the-topness—I do that when I want to have some fun. But then there's a whole other brand at work—Daddy's Little Girls, Why Did I Get Married? and The Family That Preys, all in the same line. I'm gonna tell a lot of different stories."

Sanaa Lathan says Perry tells stories well

Actress Sanaa Lathan (Alien vs. Predator) had her own reason for wanting to be part of Perry's latest film.

"I was a big fan of Tyler," she says, "because one of the things I think is lacking in the industry is 'our stories.' Tyler is putting different aspects of 'our stories' out there. There's such a lack of being able to see yourself on screen."

Perry insists its not just African-American stories he's trying to tell. "When you look at any of my films with an open mind, you'll see the message. I think Diary of a Mad Black Woman has ministered to so many people—black and non-black—who can relate to this story."

He believes his films can narrow the racial divide, even among believers. "The thing that really bothers me about Christianity, especially being from the South, is the division of the church," he says. "White people go to their church, black people go to their church. What kind of God are we serving when we believe this is how it's supposed to be?"

If Hollywood has learned one thing about Tyler Perry, it's that he's not afraid to voice his convictions. When pitching the idea for a TV show called House of Payne, he says studio execs initially informed him that his characters couldn't use the word "Jesus."

Perry responded by taking the deal off the table, and then the studio relented. House of Payne (TBS, Wednesdays 9/8c) is now one of the top shows on cable television.

"It was never about the money," says Perry, who nonetheless pocketed a reported $100 million for the contract. "It was about me being able to stay true to what I believe. If you do these kinds of things, God truly honors your faithfulness to him."

When asked what he thinks of the label "Christian filmmaker," Perry sits back and thinks for a moment. "I'm a Christian and I'm a filmmaker, so I guess it fits," he shrugs.

Tyler Perry as his star character Madea

But don't expect safe, Hallmark-type films from the man who's known for dressing in drag and playing the character Madea, a feisty, out-spoken, opinionated, gun-toting grandmother.

"I don't believe in telling one dimensional stories and I don't believe in putting people to sleep," Perry explains. "I don't believe in beating people over the head with the Word. There are some people in this world that are meant to plant seeds, there's some that are meant to water, and there are some who are meant to harvest and prune. I think I'm a seed planter. I think I'm just there to give people thought. To say, Hmm, is this me?"

Perry says he's not interested in writing movies where every character is a believer. "That is not our reality. I'd rather have a good representation of Christianity in the film, but not have the whole film be about Christians who are not real."

He points to The Family That Preys as an example: "Alice [Alfre Woodard's character] is a Christian, but she lived her whole life inside these four walls. She never ventured out to see what else is out there. It was important for me to say that just because you're saved doesn't mean you have to live within four walls and wait for Jesus to come."

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