In 2005, Jamie Foxx took home the Oscar for best actor for his performance in Ray. Foxx was nominated with big names like Leonardo DiCaprio, Johnny Depp, Clint Eastwood, and Don Cheadle. In the movie Ray, the actor portrayed the character of Ray Charles, the iconic American singer, songwriter, and pianist.
The 55-year-old actor garnered lots of love after he was seen playing the role of Ray on the big screen. The actor never thought he would win the Oscars when he was nominated.
Jamie Foxx said that he took Oscar season as an excuse to party
For many people, Ray was one of the biggest movie hits of the year 2004. The musical drama was released on 29 October 2009. In 2005 when Jamie Foxx was nominated for the Oscars, the event was nothing but a reason to party for him. During an interview, the Day Shift actor said he didn’t take his Oscar nomination seriously. While talking about his reaction to the Oscar nomination, the Baby Driver actor said,
“When I was up for the Oscar I didn’t take it seriously at all. I thought there was no way to win that. I took Oscar season as an excuse to party. I was like, ‘Oh, I’m nominated? Break out the champagne and let’s party.’ I remember having paparazzi on me for the first time. I remember going absolutely nuts. I went to the Golden Globes and there was champagne involved and I was just wrong on the red carpet. I was disrespectful to the process.”
Foxx also claimed that his publicist grilled him and told him this is embarrassing when he wasn’t being enthusiastic about being nominated for an Academy Award. When the actor finally won the Oscar, he shared a very emotional moment with his family and friends.
Jamie Foxx recalled his conversation with Ray Charles
The singer Charles was very much involved with the makers of Ray during the casting of the film. When the Project Power actor was hired to play the lead character, the late singer expressed his desire to meet the actor. During an interview, Foxx recalled his fondest memory with the pianist. While talking about his memories with Charles, the Just Mercy actor said,
“Playing the blues with him. And him telling me what went on in his life, being an open book when I asked him questions about the women and the drugs and about being so far ahead of his time. I’ll remember how simple he was – there was no ‘star’ thing.”
He further added,
“I could tell he was getting ready to move on to the next phase of his existence, on the other side.”
In another interview, the director of the movie Ray Taylor Hackford said Charles tried to teach the actor some piano skills on their first meet. Even though Foxx was not good with his fingers on the piano he still managed to impress the late singer.
Source: Cheatsheet
