When asked about his last moment of bliss, Tyler Perry has an immediate answer.
“That would’ve been two Saturdays ago when I was watching my son play soccer,” he says of son Aman, 10, whom he shares with ex, filmmaker Gelila Bekele. “I don’t care if he wins or loses. For me, what moved me was I’m a father of a 10-year-old, and I get to stand here and watch him play. And to see him live a life way better than my 10-year-old self did.”
“It really, really lets me know it’s just pure joy.”
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Despite being able to provide more for his son, Perry, 55, whose new Netflix film, The Six Triple Eight, premieres Dec. 6, insists he and Bekele have made a point of keeping Aman grounded to prevent him from ever feeling a sense of entitlement. “We are very much on the same page about that,” he allows.
When Aman was around 5 years old, “he started complaining about flying commercial,” the Madea star recalls.
“He’d be going somewhere and he would say, ‘I want to be on Dad’s plane. I want to be on Dad’s plane!'” Bekele and Perry immediately came up with a plan: “For about four years, he flew with her commercial in coach so that he could understand.”
“We both are very clear-eyed about him not being this spoiled kid,” Perry adds. “And when you start seeing hints of that, that’s got to be nipped in the bud right away.”
Perry, who wrote, directed and produced The Six Triple Eight, chatted more with PEOPLE for One Last Thing:
Last obsession
Remote control airplanes. It’s awful. I got rid of a lot because I became a hoarder. It started 25 years ago when I saw a man flying one. I said, “Man, I need a hobby.” I got up to 400, but I’m down to about 40 now.
Last time I cried
Yesterday. It was my first time at Arlington Cemetery. We went to visit the graves of some of the Six Triple Eight members. Seeing miles and miles of headstones moved me to tears. It was sacred.
Last injury
About three years ago I was riding an e-bike across a covered bridge and flipped off. My whole side was black and blue. It’s taken 62 years to feel better, and I’m 55.
Last time I missed someone
I miss my mother every day. On Dec. 8 it’ll be 15 years since she passed. She loved Thanksgiving and Christmas, but nobody can cook like she did, so I don’t want anybody to even attempt the same dishes.
Last time I cursed
I say s— a lot. Bulls—. Bats—. Stupid s—. I’ll say some s— whenever I feel like saying it.
The Six Triple Eight hits select theaters Dec. 6 and premieres on Netflix Dec. 20.
For more of Tyler Perry’s interview, pick up this week’s issue of PEOPLE on newsstands Friday.
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