At 225 pounds, Tyler Perry has never looked better.
The multitalented star graces the November cover of Men’s Health, where he proudly shows off his 30-pound weight loss in a tight black tee.
“I walk into a room with a lot more confidence. All my life I’ve tried to hide my height. I was taller than everybody else and stood out, so I would slouch and try to hide it,” says Perry, who is 6-foot-6. “But with what I’ve been able to do with my body, I’m owning it. I’m standing up when I walk into a room.”
Perry felt compelled to lose weight when he was cast as the titular homicide detective in the upcoming movie Alex Cross, based on the best-selling James Patterson novels. The Georgia resident’s hourlong morning circuits included cardio, body-weight moves, and free-weight and cable work. Perry spent his afternoons practicing Krav Maga, an Israeli martial art.
The 43-year-old actor, director and screenwriter also modified his diet, swapping pork chops and dirty rice for grilled chicken breasts and ground turkey chili. “Now, I feel like it’s okay to be thought of as sexy,” the slimmed-down star says.
In addition to being in the best shape of his life, Perry — who created the successful Madea film franchise — is succeeding professionally, too.
“I’ve worked my entire life to get to this place,” he tells Men’s Health. “The first 28 years of my life, it was hell and misery. Now I can do whatever I want. I don’t want any drama; I don’t want to argue; I don’t want to answer to anybody. I’ve worked too hard to get here, and I’m loving this freedom.”
