Tyler Perry Lost 30 Pounds For ‘Alex Cross’

Tyler Perry is nothing if not committed to his roles.

In his Madea series he dons a wig and dress to play the sassy grandmother, and in his latest non-Madea movie, the thriller Alex Cross, Perry dropped 30 pounds.

“Now, I feel like it’s okay to be thought of as sexy,” Tyler Perry said in the November issue of Men’s Health magazine.

As Access Hollywood noted, the 6-foot-6 Perry was motivated to lose the weight when he realized that he would be a good fit to play the title detective, as long as he was more fit.

“I thought, ‘Well, Morgan Freeman played this role, you might not want to do this,’ cause Morgan Freeman knocked it out of the park,” Tyler Perry told Men’s Health. “But the more I read it, the more I realized that could do it.”

Tyler Perry worked with a trainer to get in shape, going through an hour-long morning circuit of cardio, body weight moves, and free-weight and cable work. He practiced the Israeli martial art Krav Maga in the afternoon.

Alex Cross has gotten bad reviews so far from outlets like Rotten Tomatoes and The Hollywood Reporter, but the work has given the already mega-successful movie mogul a boost of confidence.

“I walk into a room with a lot more confidence,” Tyler Perry said. “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. But with what I’ve been able to do with my body, I’m owning it. I’m able to stand up when I walk into a room.”