Jamie Foxx: underestimated from the start, he always had something special up his sleeve. Now with his eye-opening performance as Ray Charles in a new film on the life of the late music legend, the wise-cracking funny man is getting serious—and the world is taking notice. Elvis Mitchell gets the lowdown on challenging the status quo from the movies' newest big leaguer

Interview, Nov, 2004 by Elvis Mitchell

JF: Oh, but not really! I mean, that's what I'm here to do. It's like when you watch Barry Sanders playing football: You can imagine him playing golf or bowling, but football is what that guy was put here to do. How many millions of guys have gone to training camp--same size, same build, same speed? But they couldn't put it all together like he did. You look at Eddie Murphy or Usher or Michael Jackson--those people were put here to do a certain thing, and then it just depends on how far they're going to take it. I've been put here for the inspiration, to just be able to do that nook-and-cranny-type thing where people really look at the performance and watch. I enjoy doing it and seeing people watching it. I've had something up my sleeve for a long time. [Mitchell laughs] I'm not sure how much I'll be able to pull out from under it, but I know I've got a lot of stuff up there.

EM: You mentioned Barry Sanders. He got himself into playing football, but then he walked away from it when he was at the top of his game. Ricky Williams, too.

JF: Well, Ricky Williams and Barry Sanders were such victims of the business. I mean that business is vicious, man.

EM: And the movie business can be vicious too, especially if you're African American.

JF: I know, but here's the thing: In the 1970s there was just Richard Pryor, and in the 1980s there was just Eddie Murphy. Then in the 1990s here come Will Smith and Chris Tucker. Here comes Chris Rock. Here come all of these young African-American males who are making it hot. Here come all of these people who are riding up and making it happen. When I talk to black folks, I say, "Let's work together," because right now, it's on us. Look at Will Smith. He makes his star power shine so much that he turns around and gives his best friend, Duane Martin, a TV show. That's what it's about. You turn around and bring the next brother up. I see talented brothers every single day who just need that opportunity.

EM: Is that the next step for you, too--to start using the power that you have right now to branch out in that way?

JF: If you're not doing that, then what are you doing this for? I can't drive through my city in a limo and look at the people that are struggling and just be like, "I got mine. Forget them." This is all for a purpose: to show an example to young African-American kids who are coming up, to get them to go, "Wow! He did it! There were 14,000 people in his town, and he did it! He went and he made something of himself."

Elvis Mitchell is Interview's editor at large.