“To be honest, I don’t consider myself famous, I really don’t,” explains Foxx. “I’ve
always been the guy, my whole career, that people feel a familiarity to, not really a ‘celebrity.’ It’s important to
keep good people around that always keep it real with you. My friends that I met when I first came to LA 30 years
ago are still my same friends. We all still kick it and laugh.”
Born Eric Marlon Bishop in 1967, (he changed his name to Jamie Foxx when he
discovered that female comedians were more often than not called out first to perform at improvs in Los Angeles),
Foxx’s young life wasn’t exactly framed by misery and destitution but it was far from plain sailing: adopted and
raised by his mother's adoptive parents in a strict Baptist household in the racially segregated town of Terrell,
Foxx had very little contact with his birth parents. His grandmother duly took on the mantle as an omnipresent
source of strength and guidance in his life:
“I owe my grandmother everything. Not only did she teach me confidence, but she was
the one that insisted that I take classical piano lessons. She always said it would ‘help get me on the other side
of the tracks.’ At the time, we were living in a small town called Terrell, Texas - population 12,000. Thanks to my
grandmother, I was able to get a scholarship to a music college in San Diego and the rest is history.”
And what a history. From playing the obscenely ugly “Wanda” in the 90s skit
showIn Living Colour, to
winning an Oscar in his superlative performance as Ray Charles (or as Sintra called him, “the only true genius in
the music business) in the 2004 biographical masterpieceRayand a Grammy Award-winning double platinum musician (not to
mention joining the holy cabal of only four artists to have won both an Academy Award for an acting role and to have
achieved a #1 album in the U.S; the other three being Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby and Barbra Streisand), almost
everything that Foxx has touched has turned to proverbial gold. That’s not to say that success just followed him
around. If anything Foxx was a Hollywood entrepreneur, a hustler determined to insert himself into the right places
at the right times, swapping phone numbers with the right people (and you better bet he called them up). In fact,
his talent for networking is legendary: Foxx’s house parties he used to throw in the late 90s and early 00s in LA
are things of Hollywood lore:
“Those parties are what helped me get into the music business” he says. “I had a
studio at my house where artists could come and record songs - my one rule was they had to leave me 16 bars. And
long story short, through those connections, I ended up doingSlow
Jamzwith Kanye West and Twista and that’s what made my music career take
off.”
Then there’s the tale of Foxx pretending to be a documentary maker so he could get
into Diddy’s $1.5 million shindig, only to invite the rapper to one of his parties, claiming that it will be bigger
and better and cost him no more than $400. Would you bet against him? And that is the allure of Jamie Foxx: you
never quite know what to expect next, which is why putting him on a velvet sofa sat next to Hollywood legends - as
he is onOff Script- is a recipe
for hilarity, but also candid conversation.
“One of the guests who surprised me the most was Denzel Washington,” says Foxx. “He
is such an icon. It was amazing to have him on the show. I had no idea he was a garbage man before he became an
actor. He had regular jobs coming up in Mount Vernon, NY. His dedication to the craft of acting is incredible. And –
we found out that D loves Cardi B! We even got him to sing a bit on the show. I love all of the guests equally, but
if I had to choose to swap lives for a day with one of them, it would probably be Jeremy Renner. He’s such a badass
and so talented. After the Off Script interview we did, we actually found out we are going to be working
together on Spawn. I can’t wait to work with him.”
This year, Foxx has also had the pleasure of working with his oldest daughter,
Corinne on the TV game showBeat Shazamwhich Foxx produces. “Man, I’m so happy for Corinne. She’s really doing her thing. And she’s so good
onBeat Shazamseason 2. It’s
amazing to see your kids blossom. She walked in the Dolce & Gabbana fashion show and I was the proud dad holding
two cameras sitting in the front row. She’s embarrassed by me, but that’s ok. We have a blast working together on
the show.”
To be fair, you'd have to be some kind of clinical misanthrope not to have a blast with Jamie Foxx. If you're not yet
perturbed by how likeable and talented he is, the fact that he is constantly well turned out might be the straw that
breaks the camel's back. You'd be hard pushed to find a better template for summer dressing and punchy formalwear
than Foxx's wardrobe in Ray,while off-screen he spins a deft mix of high fashion brands, tailoring and
streetwear ("My guy Jack Manson keeps me right!),which
for a man dipping his spritely toes into his sixth decade is no mean feat. He is, in short, an all-singing,
all-dancing, powerhouse of contemporary entertainment and there's little evidence to suggest he's going to slow down
any time soon.
