It's very difficult to break into motion pictures but it's oddly easier for directors today because of independent films and cable who have inherited for the most part those films of substance that the studios are reluctant to finance.

I turn up in Los Angeles every now and then so I can get some big money films in order to finance my smaller money films.

In Australia they set up a special fund to kick films off. It was quite an enlightened sort of move. You could go to this government bureau with scripts and and get finance for films.

There were a lot of people dreaming about making films and they would finance maybe 6 films a year. Because they were funded by the government the films sort-of had to deal with serious social issues - and as a result nobody went to see those films.

Now both my films have been number one at the Australian box office and it took about two years just to get the finance for this film so if it's hard for me then God help everyone else.

I have come close to producing films. But generally by the time they hit the screen there's about 50 people with producer credits so what's the point. I usually find scripts I like with no money attached and take them to producers that I know and try to raise finance.

I think that my vampires in general were influenced by my being allowed to watch the Hammer vampire films. Vampire Circus also shown as Circus of Fear was one of those movies.

My fear is that as soon as I get married and have kids that I'll kind of do what a lot of people do and suddenly start making 'Now I'm gonna make films for kids.' I really hope I don't do that.

Of course Hollywood is still making some excellent pictures which reflect the great artistry that made Hollywood famous throughout the world but these films are exceptions judging from box office returns and press reviews.

Exploitation films were famous for taking an issue an exploiting it because they could move much faster than a studio could. If there was any hot topic they would run out and make a quick movie and make a buck on it by changing it around and using it in some way to give some relevance.

I now have two different audiences. There's the one that has been watching my action films for 20 years and the American family audience. American jokes less fighting.

My family and our neighbors and friends thought of Africa and its Africans as extensions of the stereotyped characters that we saw in movies and on television in films such as 'Tarzan' and in programs such as 'Ramar of the Jungle' and 'Sheena Queen of the Jungle.'

The fact that food plays such an important part in my films has everything to do with my family.

I really have created a family. I work with the people I love I travel with them I make films with them and I'm in an office with them. So in a weird way - I know I haven't birthed a child - I feel that I'm a part of creating a family. It's a tribe. I love that word.

I grew up in a family that was multifaceted sexually oriented and pretty much open to everything. And because I was working my friends were all adults. I had a tough time going to different schools because people knew me from films and I was the fat child who got beaten up every day.

Tyler Perry's brand is faith family and this whole thing that I've built while my company 34th Street Films is like Disney's Touchstone. We can do anything. People don't know what to expect from me yet.

Doing films in Latin America is like an act of faith. I mean you really have to believe in what you're doing because if not you feel like it's a waste of time because you might as well be doing something that at least pays you the rent.