Everyone has heard stories about how cutthroat the entertainment industry is, but apparently even ostensible nice guys like Jamie Foxx aren’t above a little manipulating if it means landing a big role. During a Toronto International Film Festival panel with his Just Mercy co-star Michael B. Jordan (via IndieWire), Foxx revealed that he tried to talk Idris Elba out of starring in Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained after he learned that his management team had failed to secure him a spot on the studio’s shortlist for potential stars. Foxx wanted the eponymous role of Django for himself, so when he bumped into Elba—who was the frontrunner—and the topic of Tarantino came up, Foxx told him there would be “some problems for everyone” if they saw his “beautiful Black ass riding up on a horse.” Basically, Foxx explained that he tried to convince Elba that was simply too handsome to be believable as the slave-turned-bounty hunter in the stylishly unstylish blue suit.
Elba didn’t end up getting the role in Django, with IndieWire noting that the official reason was Tarantino’s desire to go with an American actor for what is an American story, but there’s definitely a chance that Foxx’s little act of subterfuge planted a seed of doubt in Elba’s mind. Either way, once Tarantino met with Foxx and discovered that he was not only from Texas but owned his own horse, he cut the other frontrunners loose (IndieWire mentions Chris Tucker and Michael K. Williams) and gave Foxx the role of Django.
These days, Idris Elba is playing one of the monsters in Cats, and Jamie Foxx is doing a number of things that aren’t that, so this clearly worked out in his favor.
48 Comments
Wasn’t it also potentially Will Smith at one point? At least we all dodged that bullet.Hey, look at that. Bullet pun.
I feel like they should have gone with something else though. Foxx drained the charisma out of every scene he was in and it led to the movie losing all steam when Waltz and DiCaprio are gone.
Personally it’s the only role that Jamie Foxx has ever played that I’ve completely enjoyed.
Personally, he was at his best slurping that straw in Horrible Bosses. No, really.
Yeah, like I saw Horrible Bosses.
I have a theory that if Jamie Foxx and Jon Bernthal would’ve switched roles in ‘Baby Driver’, it would’ve improved the movie by a lot. And I already really enjoyed it.
I thoroughly enjoyed him in Collateral.
Yeah, I forgot about that one. Good call.
Honestly I think Jamie Foxx is doing exactly what he needs to be doing in that role and he’s my favorite performance in the film. Waltz and DiCaprio are both going incredibly high energey and Foxx’s more low-key demeanor in that role allows for the louder supporting performances to breathe instead of just canceling each other out. And Foxx does a tremendous job of conveying the subtleties of Django’s arc, to the point where you hardly notice it as it’s happening. I think it makes his final play that much more powerful, once you’re able to fully take in how much Django has grown over the course the film.
Will Smith would have been excellent, though.
Or his son.
Are we rhyming now, just for fun?
We should always rhyme.
But I have to go and don’t have the time!
No more rhyming now, I mean it!
Anybody want a legume?
If rhyme was a drug I’d sell it by the gram.
I actually think Smith would have been fantastic in it and am always a little bummed we didn’t get that version.But I also think Foxx did a great job so 6 to one half a dozen to the other…But I think Idris would have been a terrible choice, and I like Idris, but this does not feel like a role that would have fit him well at all.
That’s a fair point, actually. I was being a little glib with my comment about Will before. If there’s anyone who could benefit from a career rejuvenation from QT, it’s Will Smith. It would’ve been interesting for sure.Foxx did very well, but I agree with you about Elba. I don’t think he looks the part at all. Django shouldn’t be some huge, strapping guy with a million dollar face like Big Dris. He needed to be a little slighter, a little uglier (Foxx isn’t ugly by any stretch, but they dirtied him up in the beginning for sure), a bit more the type who could play things closer to the chest. Elba would’ve been too much for it.
You say dodged a bullet, I say we were robbed of Will Smith’s film-ending Django Rap.
GO DJANGO GO DJANGO GO!
GO DJANGO GO DJANGO GO!WHY DO I WRITE THESE THINGS FOR ME TO HATE
he cut the other frontrunners loose (IndieWire mentions Chris Tucker and Michael K. Williams)Say what now?
When Chris Tucker and Idris Elba are up for the same role you know white people are making the decisions.
You know either Chris Tucker or Idris Elba or Michael Che or LeVar Burton or Tiffany Hadish or Fredrick Douglas who is being recognized more and more these days.
Cause Lil Nas X wasn’t a thing yet.
Tarantino loves giving actors a comeback role, but David O. Russell beat him to that particular one
I remember a video interview where Michael K. Williams was really excited about the role, and seemed to indicate he had it. I think he would have had a more interesting take than Foxx’s.I think Elba would have also been more better. But Foxx was fine.
I think Denzel Washington would have been mo’ better.
M.K.W. would have been great. Star power is dumb.
I remember a video interview where Michael K. Williams was really excited about the role, and seemed to indicate he had it. I think he would have had a more interesting take than Foxx’s. I think he would have been better than Foxx in the role, but… I didn’t like the movie much. I’m just glad Williams got to play Leonard Pine in Hap and Leonard because his casting for that was pretty perfect.
I want to see the alternate universe version of Django Unchained starring Chris Tucker.
Tucker hell no. But Omar sorry I mean Michael K. Williams would have been good.
Idris Elba is playing one of the monsters in Cats, and Jamie Foxx is hosting Beat Shazamftfy
Did he also convince Tom Cruise not to stay married to Katie Holmes? (he’s a sly one, that foxx)
Like a Foxx!
Foxx, however, did not try to talk Elba out of the role in The Dark Tower.
Pretty sly there………….Jamie.
Ah yes, the old “you’re too pretty to do this” argument. Always works on me.
I have it on good authority that Idris Elba is aware of the effect he has on women.
Misleading headline suggests Foxx convinced Elba to remove himself from contention. Foxx tried, but Elba kept after the role until Tarantino dropped him from consideration. But that story’s not as sexy.
foxx is nothing to write home about in this movie. frankly, i would have preferred any of his competition.
“ostensible nice guys like Jamie Foxx”Does Foxx have a reputation as a nice guy? Ever since he gleefully and publicly humiliated the struggling comedian Doug Williams, I’ve always assumed he was a giant prick who only looked out for himself.
Foxx was perfect in the role, I’ll admit that. He’s still an useless nigger, though.