He may we a well-respected, award-winning, A-List actor now, but there was a time when Jamie Foxx was trying to find his way in Hollywood like millions of other hopefuls. The stand-up comedian went from performing on small stages to having his own sitcom, The Jamie Foxx Show, but the entertainer wanted to break his way into movies and become the next sought after actor. Even with a show under his belt and credits that included a hilarious stint on In Living Color, Foxx still had trouble making headway in the industry.
In a recent roundtable discussion for The Hollywood Reporter, Foxx chatted with Tom Hanks, Shia LaBeouf, Adam Sandler, Robert De Niro, and Adam Driver about countless topics, including a moment that helped define him as an artist. In 1999, Foxx starred in Any Given Sunday alongside Al Pacino, LL Cool J, Cameron Diaz, Bill Bellamy, Matthew Modine, Lela Rochon, and many more. The film was directed by the esteemed Oliver Stone who, according to Foxx, wasn't a fan when the young actor initially read for his role.
"I remember Oliver Stone, when I first auditioned [for Any Given Sunday], he was like, 'You're horrible.' And I was like, 'What?' He was like, 'Just get the f*ck out of here.' As I'm walking out he said, 'Jamie Foxx, slave to television.'" Tom Hanks was shocked by the story. "But I learned from that toughness," Foxx added.
Shia LaBeouf chimed in with an Oliver Stone tale of his own. "He would never look me in the eyes [while working on Stone's Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps]. He always looked just above my eye, to the eyelid." Watch the trailer for Any Given Sunday below.