Stone Cold Foxx
From TV shows and Oscar-winning films to hit songs, Jamie Foxx may be the new King of All Media

by B. Love

Whether imitating Mike Tyson, breaking records with hit singles such as “Blame It!” or acting in films such as this month’s Valentine’s Day, Jamie Foxx has long since proven himself one of the most talented performers of his generation. Though it took his uncanny Oscar-winning performance as Ray Charles for average Joes to sit up and take notice, we’ve been fans since the early ‘90s, when he was playing second fiddle to Damon Wayans and Jim Carrey on the groundbreaking sketch comedy show In Living Color. Here, the 42-year-old Texas native sits down with us for a chat about his varied career, how winning the Oscar changed his game, and why a Mike Tyson biopic is tops on his list of dream projects.

You’ve had a broad and varied film career, from the Booty Call era to critically acclaimed films like Ray. Could you talk about that arc?

It's been a great ride. If you look at In Living Color, you see the training ground. Those guys were doing things that weren't just jokes in your face, but real characters. We were trying to make them more than one-dimensional, so it was a great training ground, being under Keenan and Damon Wayans and Jim Carrey and all those cats. I’m happy that I had that background and those tools. You do Ray Charles or Stevie Wonder, knock off the funny and actually DO the character, then let it play out. It really makes you feel good on the inside for whatever's coming next, knowing you're going to be able to get into it and try to make it happen for you.

Have you ever had moments where you thought you'd quit?

Oh, yeah! I moved to Vegas right after In Living Color and I couldn't get any work. I remember seeing this girl at the Comedy Store, and this is when I knew it was time for me to get out. This girl was walking towards me and I was like, “Oh yeah, she's probably been watching the show!” She says hi. I say hey. She says, “Do you know where Chris Tucker is?” I said no, and she looked back and said, “You look so familiar...” I was like, oh man, my shine is gone! I had gotten so into myself because I thought everybody was watching the show. I remember going up on stage and doing rich jokes in front of folks from the hood. “Yeah, I just got that Range Rover. Anybody else? My house went into Escrow. Anybody? Man, it's crazy when your house goes on escrow!” It was like, “What are you talking about?!” I walk off stage, and I'm outside the club when I hear the doors open and [makes sound of audience’s roar]. I walked in, and it was Chris Tucker, and he was killing ‘em. I sat down and I said, “That's what I need to do– go back and find what it is that I do,” because I’d lost it. So I moved to Vegas, and found out the WB was looking for shows. So we went there and did The Jamie Foxx Show, and I got a brand new start. I don't want to ever slip like that again.

How have perceptions about you changed since you won the Oscar for Ray?

I don't know if it's necessarily that the perception has changed. But what you have to do every day is kill that Oscar beast and go out and try to take two or three steps back and not be the ugly person it could turn you into. The way I've done that is just kept telling jokes about it. If you feel like you’ve won the Oscar and you're at the top of your game, you're at the top of the mountain. Then you come off the elevator and there's a brother going, “Hey Jamie, congratulations on that Grammy, dog! You did your thing, dog! Hey, what song was that they acknowledged you for?" (Laughter) It lets you know that everybody ain't feelin' it. So you bring it back down and use the Oscar for those things that you really wanted. Now they're offering great roles, and what's great is we can create opportunities on the dribble.

Are you more selective these days in the roles you take?

Yeah, that's what I mean. It's like when they talk about the Oscar Curse. When I say create off the dribble, that's a person in basketball that has to come off the screen and shoot it, meaning that somebody's got to set up the shot for him. With us, we create off the dribble: We do standup comedy, so we can go to our left; we do music, so we can go to our right; we write movies, so we can go around our backs. So we use it as our tool and try not to bastardize it, because sometimes I've used it for the wrong things.

Your new movie, Valentine’s Day, is all about love and relationships. How has your pickup with the ladies been in recent years?

It's changed drastically. It's crazy! I think it's a different type of woman [you attract] when you win an Oscar. All the young ladies in the club, I ain't messing with you right now. I get the 35 and over women with their own companies. They break down everything: “You know, that night I was soooo touched.” I say, “Girl, I'm gonna touch you again!” I'll never forget the joke I told Will Smith. I'm making love to this girl right after I won the Oscar. She said, “Oh, Jamie!” I said, “No, no, no… that's not my name!” “Oh, Academy Award Winner Jamie Foxx!” If you ain't got [an Oscar], you gotta get you one!

You’re an extremely talented musician. Would you ever do more musical biopics?

I always thought the Marvin Gaye story was incredible. If you know anything about his life story, there's some things about his life that will blow your mind. Whoever tells that story, you know it's going to be great.

Do you think you could pull it off?

I'm sure I could give a good crack at it. But I think the Mike Tyson story is the most interesting thing to me. Mike Tyson gives you phrases that, if you listen to it, will blow your mind. They said, “How do you feel?” and he said (imitating Tyson's voice), “I'm more happy now that I don't have any money... I don't have to worry about anything. I'm just here.” To me, that's where you go. Do the story about THAT! About how he feels now, after he looks back on what all happened. A reporter once asked him, ”Why are things always so crazy for you?” And [Tyson] says: “You give a kid who's 19 years old $60 million and see how crazy it'd be for him!”

Are you actively trying to do a film based on that?

Not yet, but sometimes you just put things out there in the air and hopefully they catch on.

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