WHAT'D HE SAY? JAMIE FOXX DIGS DEEP TO PLAY THE PUBLIC AND PRIVATE RAY CHARLES.Byline: Bob Strauss Film Writer If you're still wondering how that wacky comedian Jamie Foxx Jamie Foxx (born December 13, 1967) is an American actor, singer, and stand-up comic. Foxx is possibly best-known for his performance of musician Ray Charles in Ray, and for his collaborations with director Michael Mann. landed the demanding role of the late Ray Charles For the composer and conductor of the Ray Charles Singers, see . Ray Charles Robinson (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) known by his stage name Ray Charles, was a pioneering American pianist and soul musician who shaped the sound of rhythm and blues. in the new musical biopic bi·o·pic n. A film or television biography, often with fictionalized episodes. biopic Noun Informal a film based on the life of a famous person [bio(graphical) + pic(ture)] ``Ray,'' you haven't been paying attention Noun 1. paying attention - paying particular notice (as to children or helpless people); "his attentiveness to her wishes"; "he spends without heed to the consequences" attentiveness, heed, regard . In recent years, the Years, The the seven decades of Eleanor Pargiter’s life. [Br. Lit.: Benét, 1109] See : Time 36-year-old cutup cut·up n. Informal A mischievous person; a prankster. from ``In Living Color In Living Color is a ground-breaking sketch comedy television series which ran on the FOX Network from April 15, 1990 to May 19, 1994. Executive producer Keenen Ivory Wayans created, wrote, and starred in the program. ,'' his own WB network series and such uproariously questionable films as ``Booty Call'' has been building an impressive body of dramatic roles. He's earned praise for playing the untried quarterback in Oliver Stone's ``Any Given Sunday,'' the champ's confidante con·fi·dante n. 1. A woman to whom secrets or private matters are disclosed. 2. A woman character in a drama or fiction, such as a trusted friend or servant, who serves as a device for revealing the inner thoughts or intentions Bundini Brown in Michael Mann's ``Ali,'' reformed gangster Stan ``Tookie'' Williams in the cable film ``Redemption,'' and, for Mann again, the hit man-chauffeuring taxi driver taxi driver n → taxista m/f taxi driver taxi n → chauffeur m de taxi taxi driver taxi n → in the recent ``Collateral,'' a performance many felt outshone super co-star Tom Cruise's. But there's more to Foxx than a gift for comedy, drama and, vital to ``Ray,'' impersonation Impersonation Patroclus wore the armor of Achilles against the Trojans to encourage the disheartened Greeks. [Gk. Lit.: Iliad] Prisoner of Zenda, The in both arenas. He went to college, in San Diego San Diego (săn dēā`gō), city (1990 pop. 1,110,549), seat of San Diego co., S Calif., on San Diego Bay; inc. 1850. San Diego includes the unincorporated communities of La Jolla and Spring Valley. Coronado is across the bay. , on a classical piano scholarship; he sang on the ``Any Given Sunday'' soundtrack, you can hear his voice on Twista's massive ``Slow Jamz'' hit, and he just signed an album deal with J Records. And he can sure work a crowd, whether it's emceeing the ESPY Awards (did we mention that Foxx was also a high school football star back in Terrell, Texas, near Dallas?) or doing stand-up stand·up or stand-up adj. 1. Standing erect; upright: a standup collar. 2. Taken, done, or used while standing: a standup supper; a standup bar. at comedy clubs, which he still views as the toughest and most invigorating in·vig·or·ate tr.v. in·vig·or·at·ed, in·vig·or·at·ing, in·vig·or·ates To impart vigor, strength, or vitality to; animate: "A few whiffs of the raw, strong scent of phlox invigorated her" job in show business. ``Hey man, if that's what they say, I'm just gonna ride with the resume,'' Foxx says of the increasing chorus that's referring to him as some modern-day renaissance man. ``For people on the outside looking in, I guess it is that way, but I just look at it like another chance to work. If you can manage to do decent - and maybe a little above average - in all of it, then I say keep doing it.'' So much talent All of those skills were essential for playing Ray Charles, the blind ``Genius'' who fused r&b, gospel, country and pop sounds in the 1950s and '60s, created the basic template for soul music and went on to become one of the most beloved entertainers of his generation until his death in June Death In June is the musical brainchild of English folk musician Douglas Pearce, better known as Douglas P. Death In June was originally formed in Britain in 1981 as a trio, but after the other members left in 1985 to work on other projects, the group became the work of at the age 73. ``I don't know Don't know (DK, DKed) "Don't know the trade." A Street expression used whenever one party lacks knowledge of a trade or receives conflicting instructions from the other party. who I would have cast if I'd made the film in the late '80s,'' says director Taylor Hackford (``An Officer and a Gentleman''), who indeed had tried to get ``Ray'' off the ground for 15 years. ``You live or die, when you make a biopic, by the person who plays the role. And Jamie Foxx is the man for this. I can't imagine anybody even coming close to what he's done. I asked him to do the role blind. He said fine. I would lead Jamie onto the set, he'd have people with him who would have to take him to the bathroom. I mean, this was a commitment that was total.'' How total? ``I'm about 185, and I had to go down to 159 pounds to play him,'' Foxx explains. ``I had prosthetics on my eyes 12 to 14 hours a day, even during lunch because I didn't want to cheat and see; I hyperventilated for the first two weeks! And then the 96 music cues that I had to know on the piano, so I could look like I played like him ... '' Although most of the music heard in the film comes from Charles' own classic recordings of ``What'd I Say,'' ``Georgia on My Mind,'' ``Unchain My Heart'' and many others, Foxx did have to mimic the master's voice for some early live performances and work-up sessions (the scene depicting ``Hit the Road Jack's'' development is a scorcher scorch·er n. 1. One that scorches: an iron that was a scorcher. 2. Informal An extremely hot day. ). But most importantly, he had to play piano right, even if we were only going to see and not hear his finger work. That crucial lesson was learned from Charles himself, who cooperated fully with Hackford throughout the film's long development. Notes from a legend ``Ray Charles and I would sit down, and we'd play on tandem pianos,'' Foxx recalls. ``He said, 'Jamie, if you can play the blues, you can do the part.' I hit a G flat, and it was supposed to be a G. He stops and says, 'Why did you do that?' I said, 'Do what?' He said, 'Hit G flat. Don't never, ever do that.' ``And I recognized that that was part of his being. Perfectionism per·fec·tion·ism n. A tendency to set rigid high standards of personal performance. per·fec  tion·ist adj. & n. .
So I started to play again, and this time made it all the way through
the piece, singing back and forth with each other. Then he hops up,
slaps his legs, that beautiful smile he has comes, and as he walks out
he says, 'The kid's got it.' And that's when I knew
I had his blessing.''
Of course, there were many more facets to the man and the role. The son of a tough-loving single mother who lost both his little brother and his sight in early childhood, Georgia-born Charles fought not only blindness but racism (his refusal to play a segregated club got him banned from performing in his home state for life - or until the Georgia legislature officially apologized in 1977), drug addiction and a general skepticism about his genre-blending music at various times in his life. ``It speaks to a man who moved culture, who broke down so many barriers: of gospel to r&b, of black and white, of going from r&b to country and western, to pop and everything,'' Foxx says. ``Can't say enough about Ray Charles. And what's great about going to this movie is finding out about what Ray Charles was really like - seeing how he handled his business, seeing how he held onto his masters (recordings), seeing how he was one of the few that came from that era who still had his money when he left.'' The Foxx of Tarzana Foxx, who has a 10-year-old daughter from a previous relationship and says he's seeing ``a lady who stays away from it all, she just digs me for me,'' doesn't appear to possess much in the way of hard-heartedness. But that great charm that Charles exuded even during his toughest moments likely came naturally to the actor. The extremely approachable Foxx is one of the great party guys in the business. His Tarzana home has hosted many A-list celebrity guests ... and some not-so-classy ones, which has been known to cause him some embarrassment. ``It wasn't me playing naked basketball!'' he says of a particularly notorious backyard incident. ``But I guess a couple of friends that were using my house had some girls over late at night, and they were scantily scant·y adj. scant·i·er, scant·i·est 1. Barely sufficient or adequate. 2. Insufficient, as in extent or degree. scant clad, or whatever. And my fence was torn down at the time. I got a call from my neighbor saying, 'Jamie, I know that you're not here. But we've been watching for hours, could you please stop the nude basketball?' So I called (home) and said, 'What are you all doing at my house?' I had to send gift baskets to all my neighbors.'' Much as he likes his fun, Foxx comes from a strict religious background. Raised by his grandparents grandparents npl → abuelos mpl grandparents grand npl → grands-parents mpl grandparents grand npl , he attended church religiously; his first show-biz gig was choir director. He caught the comedy bug in college when friends encouraged him to do impersonations at a club. Born Eric Bishop, he reportedly thought the gender-unspecific stage name Jamie Foxx might him help get more open-mic slots. Foxx says his disciplined youth prevents him from going too far off the rails as he works his way to the top of La-La Land. ``That part of my background helps me deal with all of these palm trees and good weather and all of the beautiful traps that you can get into out here,'' he reckons. ``That keeps me in a certain pocket, and that's necessary because I want to do well.'' It's working so far. Now there's talk that Foxx is a shoe-in for a ``Ray'' Academy Award nomination. But such things are not supposed to be mentioned at this early stage of the game, are they? ``Ha ha ha ha,'' Foxx goes. ``I don't look it at like most people who say, 'Oh if you talk about it you're gonna jinx jinx n. 1. A person or thing that is believed to bring bad luck. 2. A condition or period of bad luck that appears to have been caused by a specific person or thing. tr.v. it.' You're not jinxing anything because you can't change the material, and the material was great. So when the movie stands on its own, you welcome everything. And it's not just for Jamie Foxx; it's for everybody involved in the picture.'' Bob Strauss, (818) 713-3670 bob.strauss(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): 6 photos, box Photo: (1 -- cover -- color) Ray How Jamie Foxx became Ray Charles - and why they're talking Oscars (2) no caption (Jamie Foxx) (3 -- 6) no caption (Ray Charles) Box: Ray Charles - a life in music |
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