Jamie Foxx and Deon Taylor
On the set of Nite Tales with Jamie Foxx and Deon Taylor
Interview by Ron Gilbert
While shooting Nite Tales in Hollywood, under their banner No Brainer Productions, Jamie Foxx allowed me to peek inside.
A few months back, I interviewed Jamie’s partner, Deon Taylor, on his film Chain Letter. Once the entertainment world was buzzing about his new partnership with Jamie, Deon really wanted me to meet Jamie and have a sit-down.
Flash forward a few weeks later. I received an email from Deon’s assistant, inviting me to the set of Nite Tales. When I arrived, Jaime was sitting in the director’s chair, giving Stacey Dash [the female star of Nite Tales] direction along with Deon. Finally, during a break for a new setup, Jamie came over and sat right next to me on the couch like we were old buds.
Suddenly, he jumps up and starts doing this imitation of the stunt guy showing Stacey how she needs to move! Everyone started laughing. He is just being Jamie. When Jamie came back and sat down next to me, we began our chat.
IFQ: Deon here wanted me to meet you, well you know…. So, here we are.
Jamie Foxx: Yeah, that’s right.
IFQ: Deon told me that you can imitate people right away, so I am waiting for you to do me.
Jamie: Hey, this man is good! [Everyone laughs.] How about this? [Jamie imitates Ron.] “Well you know…”
Deon Taylor: Jamie, you just can’t be yourself! You just start doing people! [Everyone laughs.]
IFQ: So, Jamie, how did you meet Deon?
Jamie: Well, I met him a couple of times through acquaintances of mine, and you know timing is everything. I was just sitting and thinking of all the ideas I had and how I needed a place to get them out. In maybe 8 -12 weeks we had shot two projects—a comedy series in Sacramento with these great comedians, and then we co-directed this new series, Tommy’s Little Girl, with Selma Blair and Paul Sorvino. We took it over to NBC, and you know, TV is like a pitbull, so within 30 minutes we had an offer. Deon likes to do everything.
IFQ: Hey Deon, you didn’t tell me that.
Deon: Yeah.
Jamie: I do not care what anyone says about network or cable television. So, we just started to move forward on this partnership and get all of these ideas coming out.
IFQ: So it’s like you guys are channeling each other.
Jamie: Well, you know, in Hollywood you have these ideas, but you need someone to complete them. So Deon completes the creative synergy. This is phenomenal because, in this town, if you catch something at the right time, you can really take advantage of it. Since I do not live in L.A., I just call someone here, and here we are, like doing a horror film. Outside of the United States, people do not know what your comedy or drama is like. It’s more than cutting off a hand. So we have these ideas and it is perfect. With these ideas, I am able to put the blessing on it for Deon because he has that work ethic. He does not live here in Hollywood. I feel that he will be the next Spielberg.
IFQ: Deon can do anything. What I noticed, is that he puts his heart into his films and creates a family, which I observed today on the set. He also has an eye for beauty, which I also see with Stacey Dash in Nite Tales. I do not want to see a girl with no teeth on the screen; I want to see Stacey.
Jamie: She came to my radio show, and then we went out as friends. She talked about her ideas and what she wanted to do. I mean, you don’t get that all the time. With Nite Tales, she built a whole bible on her character which went back to the 1700s with vampires and this whole love story. A saga. We all want to see where this goes.
IFQ: She just seems like the right woman for this. She is way beyond urban.
Jamie: I know. She has all the sides for this. In this instance, when you say urban, it is really a beauty very mainstream. This is going to be very slick.
IFQ: As you say, urban has gone to another level. So, Jamie, do really think that Deon has a shot in Hollywood? Do you think he will make it as a hot director?
Jamie: I know a lot of Hollywood directors and a lot of them aren’t filmmakers. They are directors who know someone in Hollywood. But, I have been lucky to work with the top ones like Taylor, Michael Mann, Sam Mendes, and Deon is no different.
IFQ: Well, Deon brings something special from what I see.
Jamie: He has overflowing creativity.
IFQ: Well, you both complement each other.
Jamie: I know, and that is not easy. A lot of times, in this business, people do not want to share.
IFQ: Were you involved in Deon’s film Chain Letter?
Jamie: No, but when I saw it, I knew I wanted to work with him.
IFQ: I cannot wait to see it again on the big screen. I feel blessed that Deon has invited us into his camp.
Jamie: I have never known anyone nicer than him because not everyone is like him. We keep our wits about. He really enjoys where he is from, and this keeps his head on straight because L.A. is a crazy place.