Jamie Foxx has left a lasting impression on the entertainment world thanks to his diverse talent and charismatic presence. He transitioned from a stand-up comedian to an Oscar winner for his role in Ray. Although he has improved over the years as an actor, he once admitted that he initially had no interest in becoming one.
The Booty Call star initially made an effort to succeed as a musician. At 5, he started learning piano. Foxx was given a scholarship to United States International University, where he studied composition for the performing arts and musicals.
Later on, he tried his hands in the film and television industry as an actor and comedian, which was challenging in the beginning.
However, he once sincerely admitted that a number of well-known Hollywood actors have played a major role in his acting career.
These Acclaimed Actors Cemented Jamie Foxx’s Acting Career
Jamie Foxx‘s acting talent has garnered him praise and a devoted following. From his critically acclaimed roles in Ray and Collateral to his scene-stealing performance in Django Unchained, the actor made a name for himself.
But initially, he was not interested in pursuing an acting career. At first, he was drawn to music. He anticipated becoming a famous R&B singer after moving to Los Angeles, as he recalled in an interview with The Mercury:
“I was going to be the next Lionel Richie. I had the curls. I had the pants and the suit.”
Foxx eventually delivered a few commercial hits to pursue his dream of becoming a musician. However, this came after his career as an actor and comedian took off:
“I went onstage and held a microphone like Eddie Murphy or Richard Pryor. I started acting as if I was a comedian to get on In Living Color and it worked.”
He later tried to use that in the television and movie industries. It was difficult at first because many acting roles were taken by more well-known Black artists. But everything changed when he was cast in Collateral alongside Tom Cruise. He recalled:
“When I was starting in movies, it was as if all the slots were already taken. Chris Tucker, he had his slot sewn up. Will Smith, he had his slot sewn up. I’ve been lucky enough to have Oliver Stone, Michael Mann and Tom Cruise say, ‘We believe in you.’ That was key.”
How Jamie Foxx Learned His Acting Skills?
Jamie Foxx was raised mainly by his ailing grandmother and had little interaction with his birth parents, who were not involved in his upbringing. In those days, he perceived a division in his community. To quote him:
“In my city, the railroad tracks separated the black side from the white side. The only time that I saw white people was when someone was going to jail or when the insurance man came to call.”
The insurance agent was the one who first taught Foxx how to act. He gained the skills that he would later need to be a successful actor. He noted:
“That’s how you learned acting skills. That was my acting class. When that insurance man came to the door and my grandmother said, ‘Go tell him that we ain’t here.’ And I said, ‘I told him that last month.’ She’d say, ‘Well, you better make something up.’ That’s when I learned to perform.”
Ironically, one of the directors did not think highly of Foxx when they first worked together. The Shade actor and Oliver Stone first collaborated on the movie Any Given Sunday. But for Foxx, the encounter was a disaster. He once recalled this in an interview on Oprah’s Next Chapter:
“Oliver Stone… when he met me he said, ‘You stink, you’re terrible. You can’t act at all.’”
But Foxx remained persistent in his pursuit of the then-aspiring movie star.
He last appeared in Juel Taylor’s film They Cloned Tyrone, which received generally favorable reviews from critics, with particular attention paid to the performances of the lead cast.
You can stream They Cloned Tyrone on Netflix.
Source- The Mercury
