Katy Perry graces the cover of the most recent issue of The Hollywood Reporter, and man did things get real. The singer’s upcoming film ‘Katy Perry: Part of Me,’ which she personally financed, is set to be released on July 5, and it gives fans a peak inside her colorful world. But sometimes, things weren’t all rainbows and butterflies.

“There were times when what was going on in my personal life was so overwhelming, that I had to bend over to let those tears fall straight out of my eyes (and not my false lashes) just as I’m about to go up on that ramp and sing ‘Teenage Dream,’” she said. “I had to smack myself across the face and say, ‘These problems are my problems, they are not my audience’s problems, learn to separate that.”

What she’s of course referring to is the demise of her marriage to Russell Brand, and the emotional turn it took on her professional career.

Deciding to film the crumbling relationship was one she harped on a bit, before ultimately deciding to document it despite Brand’s pleas against it. ”Honesty has always worked for me,” she said. “So if it ain’t broke, why f—— fix it?”

There is light at the end of the tunnel for Perry, though. She has broken Michael Jackson’s chart record, earns an estimated $44 million a year, has a successful line of perfumes and faux eyelashes, and has over 1 billion views on YouTube. And now there’s the movie. ‘Katy Perry: Part of Me’ isn’t her first foray into film — she voiced a character in 2011′s ‘The Smurfs,’ — but her personal film is what’s making the headlines as of late.

“It’s all part of ‘a modern-day fairy tale,’” said co-director and Magical Elves Productions executive producer Jane Lipsitz. “One that has a happy ending but doesn’t require the prince on the horse.” And executives expect bigger numbers from Perry’s movie than Justin Bieber’s 3D film ‘Never Say Never,’ largely due to the fact that she has a larger international fan base.

Her fan base (refereed to as KatyCats) may in fact stem from Perry’s openness with her sexuality and somwhat sex-driven lyrics, but that’s something her parents still aren’t too keen on. Raised by born-again evangelical ministers, she had a pretty strict childhood that involved being raised in a church, so it’s no surprise that her parents raise eyebrows at their daughter’s newfound “sex symbol” status. ”People love the idea of a good girl gone bad, thinking that my parents were so strict and disowned me, but that actually wasn’t the case,” she said. “Even though they don’t necessarily agree with some of the things I do, they love me as their daughter. That’s always been their perspective.”

Now single and with the release of her film marking a pretty big milestone in her achievements, Perry has every reason to smile. The sun will be shining on her for a long time.

Katy Perry
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Katy Perry
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Katy Perry
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Watch Behind the Scenes of Katy Perry’s THR Shoot

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