Tyler Perry arrives at the grand opening of Tyler Perry Studios on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2019, in Atlanta. (Photo by Elijah Nouvelage/Invision/AP)
The Associated Press
ATLANTA (AP) - Tyler Perry officially christened his massive new film studio Saturday, beaming as his fellow entertainment industry luminaries descended on Atlanta and strode a red carpet to his sprawling complex for an opening gala.
The attendees warmly greeted Perry, a man who had once been homeless and yet now helmed his own studio, one of the nation's largest.
"I think it's pivotal in everything that we've done, everything that we're doing still, that we continue to try to motivate and inspire people," Perry told The Associated Press as he shook hands with well-wishers.
And there were plenty there to congratulate him. Oprah Winfrey, Spike Lee, Cicely Tyson, Samuel L. Jackson, Halle Berry and others all helped Perry christen his new facility, a 330-acre (134-hectare) studio that once served as a Confederate army base.
Winfrey praised Perry and told the AP the new studio head is a force to be reckoned with.
"He didn't wait for other people to validate or to say you should go this way or that way. He said I'm going to create my own way and as we can see here, become a force for himself," Winfrey said.
"I remember when he was thinking about buying this place and I said 'You'd be crazy not to take it.'" she added.
Samuel L. Jackson pointed to Perry's vision as the key to his ascent.
"This is more about Tyler the entrepreneur. The visionary. A guy who understands that ownership means that you can do what you want," Jackson said as he paused along the red carpet.
Tyler Perry Studios has 12 soundstages, each named after seminal black actors and actresses.
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Follow AP Writer Ron Harris on Twitter: http://twitter.com/Journorati
Spike Lee poses for a photo on the red carpet at the grand opening of Tyler Perry Studios on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2019, in Atlanta. (Photo by Elijah Nouvelage/Invision/AP)
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Jermaine Dupri poses for a photo on the red carpet at the grand opening of Tyler Perry Studios on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2019, in Atlanta. (Photo by Elijah Nouvelage/Invision/AP)
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Tyler Perry, left, greets U.S. Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., on the red carpet at the grand opening of Tyler Perry Studios, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2019, in Atlanta. (Photo by Elijah Nouvelage/Invision/AP)
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Tyler Perry poses for a photo on the red carpet at the grand opening of Tyler Perry Studios on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2019, in Atlanta. (Photo by Elijah Nouvelage/Invision/AP)
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Former Georgia House Minority Leader Stacey Abrams poses for a photo on the red carpet at the grand opening of Tyler Perry Studios on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2019, in Atlanta. (Photo by Elijah Nouvelage/Invision/AP)
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Taraji P. Henson poses for a photo on the red carpet at the grand opening of Tyler Perry Studios on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2019, in Atlanta. (Photo by Elijah Nouvelage/Invision/AP)
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Samuel L. Jackson poses for a photo on the red carpet at the grand opening of Tyler Perry Studios on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2019, in Atlanta. (Photo by Elijah Nouvelage/Invision/AP)
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Tiffany Haddish poses for a photo on the red carpet at the grand opening of Tyler Perry Studios on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2019, in Atlanta. (Photo by Elijah Nouvelage/Invision/AP)
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Usher poses for a photo on the red carpet at the grand opening of Tyler Perry Studios, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2019, in Atlanta. (Photo by Elijah Nouvelage/Invision/AP)
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Oprah Winfrey and Stedman Graham pose for a photo on the red carpet at the grand opening of Tyler Perry Studios on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2019, in Atlanta. (Photo by Elijah Nouvelage/Invision/AP)
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Terrence Howard and Miranda Pak pose for a photo on the red carpet at the grand opening of Tyler Perry Studios on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2019, in Atlanta. (Photo by Elijah Nouvelage/Invision/AP)
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Patti LaBelle poses for a photo on the red carpet at the grand opening of Tyler Perry Studios on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2019, in Atlanta. (Photo by Elijah Nouvelage/Invision/AP)
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Tyler Perry, Stacey Abrams, and U.S. Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., pose for a photo on the red carpet at the grand opening of Tyler Perry Studios, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2019, in Atlanta. (Photo by Elijah Nouvelage/Invision/AP)
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Phylicia Rashad poses for a photo on the red carpet at the grand opening of Tyler Perry Studios on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2019, in Atlanta. (Photo by Elijah Nouvelage/Invision/AP)
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Gayle King poses for a photo on the red carpet at the grand opening of Tyler Perry Studios at Tyler Perry Studios, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2019, in Atlanta. (Photo by Elijah Nouvelage/Invision/AP)
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Ludacris and Eudoxie Bridges pose for a photo on the red carpet at the grand opening of Tyler Perry Studios, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2019, in Atlanta. (Photo by Elijah Nouvelage/Invision/AP)
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Tyrese Gibson poses for a photo on the red carpet at the grand opening of Tyler Perry Studios on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2019, in Atlanta. (Photo by Elijah Nouvelage/Invision/AP)
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Chris Tucker poses for a photo on the red carpet at the grand opening of Tyler Perry Studios on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2019, in Atlanta. (Photo by Elijah Nouvelage/Invision/AP)
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Tyler Perry, left, and Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., pose for a photo on the red carpet at the grand opening of Tyler Perry Studios on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2019, in Atlanta. (Photo by Elijah Nouvelage/Invision/AP)
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Don Lemon and Tim Malone pose for a photo on the red carpet at the grand opening of Tyler Perry Studios at Tyler Perry Studios, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2019, in Atlanta. (Photo by Elijah Nouvelage/Invision/AP)
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Loretta Devine poses for a photo on the red carpet at the grand opening of Tyler Perry Studios, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2019, in Atlanta. (Photo by Elijah Nouvelage/Invision/AP)
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Tyler Perry, left, and former Georgia House Minority Leader Stacey Abrams pose for a photo on the red carpet at the grand opening of Tyler Perry Studios on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2019, in Atlanta. (Photo by Elijah Nouvelage/Invision/AP)
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David Oyelowo poses for a photo on the red carpet at the grand opening of Tyler Perry Studios on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2019, in Atlanta. (Photo by Elijah Nouvelage/Invision/AP)
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Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif. and Sid Williams pose for a photo on the red carpet at the grand opening of Tyler Perry Studios on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2019, in Atlanta. (Photo by Elijah Nouvelage/Invision/AP)
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Michael Ealy and Khatira Rafiqzada pose for a photo on the red carpet at the grand opening of Tyler Perry Studios on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2019, in Atlanta. (Photo by Elijah Nouvelage/Invision/AP)
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Evander Holyfield and guest pose for a photo on the red carpet at the grand opening of Tyler Perry Studio on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2019, in Atlanta. (Photo by Elijah Nouvelage/Invision/AP)
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Iyanla Vanzant, left, and Cicely Tyson pose for a photo on the red carpet at the grand opening of Tyler Perry Studios at Tyler Perry Studios on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2019, in Atlanta. (Photo by Elijah Nouvelage/Invision/AP)
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Colin Kaepernick and Nessa pose for a photo on the red carpet at the grand opening of Tyler Perry Studios on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2019, in Atlanta. (Photo by Elijah Nouvelage/Invision/AP)
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