Jamie Foxx honored with award at Gene Siskel Film Center gala
BY MAUDLYNE IHEJIRIKA Staff Reporter/mihejirika@suntimes.com June 5, 2011 8:37PM
School of the Art Institute president Walter Massey presents Jamie Foxx with the Renaissance Award for the actor’s career accomplishments. | DAN REST photo
Article Extras
Updated: July 14, 2011 11:57PM
You never know what’s going to happen at the Gene Siskel Film Center’s annual benefit gala. It was unpredictable last year, when actor Robert Downey Jr. brought his quirky brand of renaissance stardom to the Ritz-Carlton Chicago event. And it was completely out of the box Saturday night when he returned with his good friend — actor and comedian Jamie Foxx.
Steering an on-stage, sit-down interview with Foxx that was at times poignant, at times mad-capped, Downey created an intimate “Evening with Jamie Foxx,” as he handed his good friend the Renaissance Award, an honor Downey had received in 2010.
“It’s an honor to share the evening with my good friend. He’s a national treasure,” said Downey of the actor he partnered with in “Due Date” and “The Soloist.”
“There are few performers today who are as prolific as Jamie Foxx, spanning a wide range of disciplines, from stand-up comedy to acting to music,” said Jean de St. Aubin, executive director of the Gene Siskel Film Center at the School of the Art Institute, before the start of the gala.
The two stars traversed Foxx’s triple-threat career as a comedian, actor and musician .
“‘What’s funny to you?” Downey asked at one point.
“A lot of things are funny to me that shouldn’t be,” said Foxx, 43, who got his comedy break with Keenan Ivory Wayans’ 1990 landmark variety show, “In Living Color.”
Born Eric Marlon Bishop, Foxx was raised by his grandparents in Terrell, Texas, after his parents divorced. He sang in the church choir and played quarterback on his football team at Terrell High School, where Downey pointed out, “He was the first player ever to throw more than 1,000 yards.”
Foxx attended U.S. International University in San Diego on a scholarship, majoring in music. He got hooked on open-mike nights at local comedy clubs and dropped out of school, moving to Los Angeles to pursue comedy, music and films.
In 1994, two years after hitting TV, he got his movie debut with a bit role in the Robin Williams’ “Toys,” and also released a debut album, “Peep This.” Early films included 1997’s low-budget, raunchy sex comedy, “Booty Call.”
He got his break as a dramatic actor in 1999, as quarterback Willie Beaman in Oliver Stone’s “Any Given Sunday.”
“I came in to read for him, and at the time, I was TV hot — everything I did was loud,” Foxx recalled. “At the end, Stone said, ‘You just can’t act at all, can you?’ I remember he wrote down, ‘Jamie Foxx, slave to TV.’ ” But Stone called him back to read for a different role, and this time, Foxx sent a video of himself, rapping, and got the job.
He soon made serious film impressions with roles in “Ali,” “Collateral,” and “Ray,” in which he portrayed the legendary Ray Charles. The role ultimately earned him the Academy Award for best actor.
Downey and Foxx sent shout-outs to Sun-Times Film Critic Roger Ebert, attending the event with wife Chaz, for supporting Foxx’s career.
“I remember Ebert said when he saw you in ‘Collateral,’ he became encouraged after hearing you were going to play ‘Ray,’ ” Downey recounted. “Then when he saw ‘Ray,’ he said halfway through the film he stopped thinking about you playing Ray and started seeing Ray Charles. The thing everybody noticed was that you didn’t portray him, you channeled him.”
“I want to thank you Roger for coming out tonight,” Foxx said. “I know it’s rare to get you out, and I appreciate it.”
Foxx’s film credits also include the 2006 “Dreamgirls,” opposite Jennifer Hudson, and he can currently be heard as Nico, the yellow canary in the animated feature “Rio.”
Foxx, who also treated the crowd to a song, released his third album, “Intuition,” in 2008, and its popular single “Blame It,” a collaboration with rapper T-Pain, earned Foxx a Grammy for best R&B performance by a duo or group.
“I made a great friend while making ‘The Soloist,’ ” Foxx said of Downey. “It’s rare you actually hang out with someone after a movie. I’m honored to be able to share with him another brilliant moment in my life. This award means everything. I started doing stand-up here in Chicago many moons ago. And I have not yet begun to fight. I have many things in the pipeline, and I’m so grateful to the 312 for this honor.”
Comments Click here to view or make a comment