What were the challenges of playing someone with extreme mental illness?
We’re all a little crazy out here in Hollywood, but going to that edge was really scary. The character hears voices in his head, and I had to submerse myself into that state. There were some scary moments: Sometimes I didn’t know what was real. I’d go to sleep at night hearing the voices, and then wake up like, Oh, snap! You’re still here, Foxx! Stay with us—don’t slip into the deep end!
Tell us something people don’t know about you.
Very few know how great I play table tennis: I am really good. As I watched the Nigerians play America in the Olympics, I thought, If I wasn’t doing what I do, doing that would be great. Michael Bolton, he’s a nice guy and probably the best entertainer I’ve played. I’ve heard that Prince plays, too. I would love to play Prince in table tennis—that would be a game. Oh, and I used to have a deep karaoke problem.
What are your karaoke killers?
“Do Me!” by Bell Biv DeVoe. Hit that, then go right in with “Y.M.C.A.” and it’s over!
You were born Eric Bishop in small-town Terrell, Texas. What’s the difference between Jamie and Eric?
Jamie Foxx is the persona—the party-starter, the emcee, the guy who comes onstage with Kanye West and does whatever. Eric Bishop is the quiet guy who’ll have a glass of wine somewhere quiet and play piano for just a few people. My sister has never called me Jamie Foxx. She always calls me Eric. She thinks that “Jamie Foxx” is a crock and always says, “I am not calling you that shit.”
READ THE REST OF THE INTERVIEW!