Jamie Foxx Is in the House

Before becoming an esteemed actor, Jamie Foxx was a stand-up comedian who joked about his struggles to make it in Hollywood. But then came the Oscar win, which changed his punchline.

Now, with superstar status, Foxx is enjoying every moment: the money, the fame, and especially the women. With his new movie “Stealth” releasing in Israel this week, he provides a glimpse into the upgraded life of the cool prince who still gets excited when speaking to Tom Hanks.

Jamie Foxx is on top of the world. And why wouldn’t he be? After winning the coveted statuette at the last Academy Awards for his lead role in the film “Ray,” Foxx managed to position himself on the fast track to Hollywood’s club of perks and connections.

Sitting — satisfied with life — in a suite at the ultra-luxurious Mandarin Oriental hotel in Miami (where he is staying for the filming of the movie adaptation of “Miami Vice”), Foxx enjoys the image of the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. One moment he shows off a giant diamond watch that looks like it was built on the ruins of a mine in the Ivory Coast (“I got it for free, to wear to some ceremony”). Later, he pulls out personal shirtless photos. “Look at the muscles,” he enthuses. “It’s all real, truly.” Finally, to solidify his status as a superstar, he doesn’t forget to decorate every other answer with lethal name-dropping (“So I was driving in the car with Kanye, Kanye West”).

But while other stars might deserve a reality-check slap for this behavior, you actually want to root for Jamie Foxx. He’s a good guy, you know.

Life is Good

Jamie, life is good, huh?

“Tell me about it. It’s hard, hard being a movie star. The truth is, what’s been happening lately is pretty amazing, especially for someone who came from the bottom. I find myself in totally surreal situations. For instance, Will Smith threw a party and I went, and at some point, he and Tom Hanks cornered me and started interrogating me about how it felt to receive the Oscar. Or suddenly tour buses stop outside my house, and the guide yells into the microphone ‘And here is Jamie Foxx’s house,’ and a million Japanese tourists get off in hysteria to take pictures by the door.”

“There’s something else, and it’s a bit ridiculous, but precisely now that I finally have money, I don’t have to pay for anything. For example, a few weeks ago they gave me three Cadillacs. Three cars, can you believe it? So I gave one to my sister; she cried from excitement.”

In previous interviews, you talked about the difficulty of finding love. Do we need to worry about you there anymore?

“You could say that since the Oscar, I’m having a lot more sex. There are crazy moments with that. For example, I had a thing with someone, and in the middle of everything, she suddenly moans, ‘Oh Jamie, oh Jamie, oh… Oscar winner Jamie Foxx!!!’ There are women in this city… maybe I shouldn’t start talking about it.”

The “Stealth” Era

Foxx is currently doing press for his new film “Stealth,” an action-packed production filled with explosions and stunts. Foxx plays an elite fighter pilot alongside Josh Lucas and Jessica Biel.

Also in Israel, pilots have a certain aura. How do you explain the phenomenon?

“In my opinion, there is something about them that demands attention because they defy death on an almost daily basis — it puts them in a god-like state. I think this arrogance is especially strong on aircraft carriers, like the one in the movie, because there are 9,000 people there whose sole job is to support a relatively small group of pilots. In a way, pilots are like celebrities; everyone looks at them.”

In the movie, there is an emphasis on the brotherhood of warriors. Did you bond during filming?

“The truth is, I barely saw the other two. Because most of the movie relies on very sophisticated computer effects, the work itself was mostly solitary. We spent most of the filming in separate rooms, sitting alone in a cockpit suspended 20 meters high in front of a green screen. I saw Josh and Jessica on small video monitors. However, we did get to hang out a lot in Australia, where most of the sets were located. I can say we invested a lot of energy in work, and about the same amount of energy in partying.”

The “Animal” Within

Foxx acknowledges his new status:

“I have power now, but I see it as a kind of animal that needs to be tamed. There are times when this animal wakes up, and then I have to put it back in the corner, to remind myself who I am and where I came from. I release it only in moments where it can help — say when I need to walk into a room and impress someone to get a role. Then I walk in with the attitude, ‘Jamie Foxx is in the house!’”

So now, with the “animal” in your pocket, what projects have you lined up?

“I’ve worked on a few new films since then that you’ll hear about, the current one being ‘Miami Vice’ which is filming right now. I’m also continuing to do comedy, so if I suddenly want a break from acting, I can always go back to performing in stand-up clubs. If I return to stand-up, no doubt it will be different, because the Oscar changed me as a comedian. Until I made it, my whole act was jokes about the way up, but what will I do now? I finally have money! So now I joke about Hollywood, things like that. Besides that, I’m also working on a new solo album, with Kanye, which will include a song about that crazy Oscar night.”

Since we’ve spent half the interview talking about the statue, maybe you can tell us which room you keep it in?

“The truth is, it’s actually with my agent. You understand, my house is like a neighborhood center; friends and family are constantly coming in and out. When the Oscar was with me, they were constantly playing with it, throwing it from side to side, touching it, because it’s quite a thing. Now my manager keeps it safe so nothing happens to it. I keep a fake Oscar at home for guests.”

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Source: Original article on Ynet (Hebrew)