Hollywood is a tough place to get a foothold in, and some would-be stars spend their whole lives trying to work with famous directors. Racquel Palmer took matters into her own hands by sending an oversized plea to one director in the form of a billboard with her face on it, asking Tyler Perry for a part as leading lady in one of his projects. That was a few years ago, but it turns out it might have just worked, because she is now cast as a leading character in one of Perry’s upcoming projects, the All The Queen’s Men series. She’s not saying the billboard is a recommended tactic for people trying to follow her lead, though.
After landing a key role in Tyler Perry’s newest series about a male strip club All The Queen’s Men, Racquel Palmer sat down for an interview with TMZ and dished on the ad she took out a few years ago to present herself as a leading lady to the director and writer. While she finally got the end-goal she was looking for, when asked if she would recommend the tactic, the actress gave a resounding “No." Here’s what the newest addition to the Perry family says:
Absolutely not. Like I said, you know after Tyler [Perry] said something on Twitter, I mean on Instagram, that should be the key not to do this. Though I’m in favor of always having faith in anything that you do. Even as actors we have to believe in ourselves, we have to believe in this industry and so faith is what it’s all about for me.
The post she is referring to is one that Perry posted in regards to the billboard she paid for, and one in which the director has already pled with actors not to imitate. He told potential stars to save their money and simply audition. He even said he was already aware of Racquel Palmer, and he may have already had his eyes on her before landing a role in the new show. The billboard may have, in fact, slowed down their team-up. You can check out his post below, from back in 2019 when the billboard was up:
In the same interview, Racquel Palmer stated that she and Tyler Perry have never spoken about the billboard. (My guess? Because Perry is such a great guy and is allowing it to be water under the bridge.) Palmer also said that she wants to be known for her “talents rather than her tactics" moving forward, and noted the billboard was just a way to show her perseverance to her children in a time when she felt like giving up. She said:
We’re in Tyler Perry Studios, so there’s many interactions with him as far as directing, but we’ve never spoke of the billboard. It’s just actor and director relationship. It’s just like [it] never happened. The one thing that I did learn is that I want to be known for my talent, not my tactics. I don’t think everybody even understands. Like the whole point about the billboard was just because I wanted to show my kids that I wasn’t going to give up on my dream. I was at a point where I wanted to. But I didn’t want them to see me give up. And I was just going for my last hurrah, so you know even if it didn’t work out they could say, ‘Mom, we went for it.’
Taking out a huge ad with your face on it to address a world famous director directly and very publicly is certainly a bold choice, and while the director didn’t seem to love it, he, being full of kindness, certainly did keep the actress in mind. It sounds like this was a one-off, though, and if anyone else were to try it they would be swiftly seen to the door. We’ll get to see that exclusive pay off as the Palmer-led All The Queen’s Men is set to release this September 9th only on BET+.
