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INTERVIEW: Tyler Perry

HOLLYWOOD FILM mogul Tyler Perry has attributed the lack of roles for black actresses in the US to the low numbers of writers of colour in the industry.

Perry, famed for his Madea franchise, told talk show queen Oprah: "I don’t think it's that (there's no space in Hollywood for black talent) as much as it's the stories that are being told,” he explained. ”The writers that are telling the stories are telling the stories from their own lives.”

During the interview, filmed for Winfrey's interview series Oprah's New Chapter, the star also pointed out that every writer had a different perspective depending on their background and explained how the lack of black writers strengthened that theory.

“For me, I’m telling stories from my own life and in my own life, there are lots of black women, you write about what you know.”

Although the 43-year-old also admits that he doesn’t subscribe to conspiracy theories, he does believe that the balance of power in Hollywood must be redressed to include more black people.

“I don’t know if there’s a conspiracy, I just feel like the current storytellers are telling a lot of stories that don’t include us. We need more story tellers and people with power to give the strength to those story tellers.”

Known as one of the most successful black filmmakers in Hollywood, Perry has cornered the American market for writing and making films with an all black cast.

The director became a worldwide sensation with his first movie Diary of a Mad Black Woman, which grossed $50.6 million (£32m) domestically after being made on a budget of just over five million dollars.