An actress shelled out $2,000 to get the attention of Tyler Perry, but things didn't go the way she may have intended.
In May, Racquel Bailey rented two billboards near Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta. On each was a headshot and the words, "Attention Mr. Perry: Racquel Bailey is your next leading lady."
Bailey said she was contacted by a casting agent with the studio days after the billboards went up, and she auditioned for the pilot of a Perry show, flying from her New Jersey home to Atlanta.
According to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Bailey, who is a stay-at-home mother of two, said she hasn't heard back about the role.
“I’m patiently waiting,” she said.
It may not have paid off.
Perry responded to the gesture on social media, asking that people don't buy billboards to get his attention.
"This is not the way to get my attention if you're looking for a role in one of my shows," he wrote on Facebook on Wednesday. "Please DON'T DO THIS, SAVE YOUR MONEY!! This is the third time that someone has done this. PLEASE STOP! To audition is FREE!! I'm sure you can use that money for a better purpose."
Credit: Dia Dipasupil
Credit: Dia Dipasupil
It's not clear if Perry is referencing Bailey as the person who has done this before, but she told the AJC she rented a billboard near Perry's original studio for $1,400 in 2012.
"I didn't get the results I wanted the first time so, as they say, if you don't succeed, try, try again," Bailey told the AJC.
Related: Actress Racquel Bailey pays $2,000 for billboards asking Tyler Perry for a job
In response to those results, Bailey took acting classes and got stage time in plays. In 2016, she got a recurring role on HBO’s “The Night Of.”
"I love that you want to work with me, and I love that you invest in yourself. But when you do things like this it puts my team on high alert and makes me look at you sideways," Perry wrote. "I know the message that you want to send is a positive one, but this comes across as the opposite.
"Again, the best way to work for me is to AUDITION and it's FREE! We post breakdowns all the time for actors. JUST COME AND AUDITION.
"And by the way, you were great in THE NIGHT OF! It was my favorite show a couple years ago. I ALREADY SAW YOU!! So just audition and keep your money!!
"Again, I appreciate your effort, but that's not the way to work for me.
"God bless you dreamer. I have no doubt you will make it one day!!"
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