I never felt safe as child, says Tyler Perry

Actor-filmmaker Tyler Perry recently opened up about his childhood days, which were marked by abuse, trauma, and depression.

The 50-year-old accomplished star before achieving all accolades in life had to overcome a childhood marked by trauma--and eventually forgive the man who caused that pain, his father.

"Holding on was hurting me more than him," he said

In the latest issue of PEOPLE, the writer, director opened up about surviving his brutal childhood and how his determination, faith, and creativity led him to success.

He also recalled how and when things got really bad at home, he'd to hide under the front porch of his house and let his imagination transport him to a world without fear.

"I could escape and be somewhere else," he said.

"I don't think I ever felt safe or protected as a child," Perry told PEOPLE.

It was not just the physical abuse that was the only horrific part of Perry's childhood.

He also said that he was also sexually abused by three different men and a woman, all family acquaintances, by the time he was 10 years old.

"It was rape," he said. "I didn't know what was going on or the far-reaching effects of it. I just moved through it." At the time, he adds, he believed "Boys don't cry, shut up and move on."

His mother took him to church and opened him up to a world of deep religious faith. "I'm so grateful for that," he remarked.

"If I wouldn't have had that, I don't know where I'd be. That was our North Star, the Bible, faith, church," he concluded.