Tyler Perry’s latest Netflix film is giving longtime fans an inside peek into a day in the life with Joe.

Longtime Madea fans are familiar with her brother Joe. After appearing in 12 various Madea movies, the character is sitting in the spotlight at the center of Tyler Perry’s Joe’s College Road Trip.

Extending camera time with Joe

“It was honestly very freeing,” Jermaine Harris, who portrays Joe’s grandson B.J. in the film and got to work alongside Tyler Perry in the role, told Blavity’s Shadow and Act in a recent interview.

“He gave me a lot of freedom on set, especially when it came to just certain scenes that we were able to do. If I ever had an idea about something, he 100% let me run with it. Since this is the first time we get to see Joe this long for a project, he was able to explore the different aspects of Joe’s mental and how he actually thinks and processes things. We get to see him actually grow over time and change his mindset, essentially, in a way, throughout the film, without giving away too much. But most times, we get to see Joe be that voice in the corner, saying something crazy, but we don’t really see him switch up or ever consider other people over time, and we get to fully explore that within this movie.”

How the film speaks to connecting generations

B.J. is clearly Gen Z, open to change, questioning things that appear unethical, and driven by technological advancements, whether it be his cell phone or the electric vehicle he drives.

On the other hand, while it isn’t implicitly stated, Joe is more of a baby boomer, very opinionated, and isn’t afraid to speak his mind. Although the characters are very different, they have more in common than they think, which viewers see over time throughout the course of the film.

“B.J. really represents the mindset of inclusivity, and also he represents the mindset of being aware of others outside of himself,” Harris said. “But that also can hurt him in the long run, because, in a day, he uses it almost as a crutch, or it shelters him, aside from seeing different experiences in life. I think he really encapsulates just the mindset of understanding. He’s constantly vulnerable.”

He added, “I think that with the relationship between B.J. and Joe, it does force them to listen and get different perspectives, but it also makes you look at yourself like, ‘Dang.’ Especially being a Gen Z person, it’s like you judge the generation before you about their wrongdoings, but they learn from the generation before them. And also over time, as we progress as people and as family, we can learn to understand that mistakes aren’t always intentional, and viewpoints aren’t always intentional. They can change over time, and I think that can inspire people to kind of ask their elders, ‘How was it for you growing up?’ or ‘How was it for this experience?’ and vice versa — for them to look at their grandkids or their kids and be like, ‘Okay, I get it. I understand.’”

Tyler Perry’s Joe’s College Road Trip is now streaming on Netflix.

Jermaine Harris

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