Entertainment

What do you do when you've conquered stage and screen, sold millions of albums and won an Academy Award? Not many of us have to ponder that lofty scenario, but if you're like the homegrown triple-threat entertainer Eric Bishop, better known as Jamie Foxx, the one thing you don't do is rest on your laurels.

Courtesy

Jamie Foxx

Even after his Unpredictable Tour, the last thing on the Terrell native's mind is relaxation. His success is far from instant, building slowly from the comedy club circuit to television (In Living Color, The Jamie Foxx Show), music (1994's Peep This and 2005's multimillion-selling Unpredictable) and film (Collateral, Any Given Sunday, The Players Club and Ray), earning multiple honors as well as an Oscar for his to-the-bone portrayal of the musical icon in 2005.

From his home in Los Angeles, the humble, humorous and flirtatious Mr. Foxx discusses his coming projects, Dreamgirls and why his first live shows weren't exactly his greatest.

Dreamgirls is a musical. Why did you not want to flex your singing chops in that role?

"Curtis only sings because he has to, he's at the end of his rope. Like when he's singing to Deena [Beyoncé's character], he doesn't want her to leave him. You think that somewhere in his soul he really wanted to be the entertainer, and that's what drove him to be so mean-spirited, because he feels like his blessing was passed over.

"I think by playing it that dark and that serious made the whole butterfly effect of Deena and Effie's independence better because they have that dark hole to get out of. When I went to sing my part in the studio, I told them that I only wanted to do it one time and not even warm my voice up, I just wanted it to be raw.

"As for that character, I've always played the smiley guy or the guy people root for, but the acting chops had to come in for Curtis because he's unforgiving and relentless. ... If we give Curtis the happy musical theater ending, of 'Oh, we like him now,' it really wouldn't be a movie. It was one of those 'I hate what Jamie Foxx did in that movie!' performance."

How does Ray impact how you select, or how you're selected, for movie roles?

"In talking with Sidney Poitier, he told me [Mr. Foxx now mimicking flawlessly], 'I chose my 56 movies carefully because I wanted my father to really enjoy the films.' He told me to pick and choose movies that make me proud of the content, so we may not rush out and do 10 movies, but we'll do the ones that really make an impact. You don't want to do movies where people say, 'Man, I've already seen that,' so my folks and I really search to find quality roles ...

"I did some of the goofier characters on purpose to stay afloat because I wasn't bangin' in the box office and I didn't have a TV show anymore, but Ray forced me to grow up and take on roles that can have serious content. I don't turn my back on the comedy, because that's what got me there, but that was like scoring the winning touchdown in the Super Bowl ... I think we've got a good thing going; I've got my fingers crossed."

Are you surprised at the success of your Unpredictable Tour? How did you combine the elements of comedy and music?

"It took us six months to get the show together. The first time we did it without the comedy first, we blew it; the first shows were too romantic with the music portion first, and people said that they wanted to see me bust out of that mold.

"So what I wanted to do was, for people who didn't have the CD, to still have them leave entertained, and by bringing in the jokes, it keeps the show moving. Now you can literally feel the show switch gears; it could be a sexy moment, and then the tension is relieved by comedy. When you see [me dressed as] Ray Charles get up and dance to 'Ballin',' it alleviates the seriousness of the music."

Do you have any new TV projects or music on the way?

"We have about six pilots that we're doing this year, and an eight-show commitment on CBS for a show called Top Dynasty, where we're looking for the next Jacksons. It's gonna be hot; it's gonna blow your mind. As for the music, I'm still cool with the commercial stuff, but I want to do a classic album now. I've got some songs I'm working on that make you say, 'Wow,' at every lyric, you know? It's serious."

Many fans see you as the hometown boy who put Terrell, Texas, on the map and want to find their own success in the industry. What advice do you give to them?

"For one, there's a lot more opportunity than people think, and there's nobody holding you back. Don't listen to anybody saying you can't this or that. You've got to pop that top off your head and say, 'There's absolutely nothing that I can't do.' I tell any woman, any child, any person that they have the opportunity to make it happen, and just really, really go after it."

Lorrie Irby Jackson is a freelance Dallas writer.

lorrieirby@yahoo.com