Jamie Foxx has revealed a tense encounter with Mike Tyson that occurred 30 years before he was cast to play the boxing legend in an upcoming biographical drama.
Speaking to LAD this week, the 57-year-old actor shared details about an incident from his early stand-up comedy days that could have gone very differently.
“I’ve known Mike for years, bro. I was doing stand-up comedy in 1988, and I’m killing in the hood,” Foxx recalled. “So, I’m in the club, I get to my Mike Tyson joke, nobody laughs, because Mike is in the audience.”
The situation became more intense when someone in Tyson’s entourage called out, “Yo, Mike is in here,” leaving Foxx visibly nervous. A woman in the front row challenged him, asking if he was scared of Mike, to which Foxx responded, “Chill!”
“The same dude yelled out, ‘Mike said to do the joke, but it better be funny’. So, the whole club goes from looking at Mike Tyson to looking at me,” Foxx continued.
The evening took an unexpected turn when Foxx successfully landed the joke and received a standing ovation. After his performance, Tyson approached him, saying: “There he is, come here. You’re so crazy, I like how you talk up there, you’re gonna be great. You made me laugh, you didn’t make me angry because you know what I do when I get angry, so come with me.”
The encounter led to an impromptu ride in Tyson’s Lamborghini truck, where Foxx served as the boxer’s personal entertainer. “I was basically like his jester. He was like, ‘Make me laugh’, and I was like ‘Knock, knock’,” Foxx remembered.
The biographical drama, titled “Finding Mike,” was first announced in 2015. Foxx underwent an intensive training regimen to physically transform into the heavyweight champion, with plans to use CGI technology similar to that used in “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” to portray Tyson’s younger years.
Tyson has previously expressed his support for Foxx taking on the role, stating, “He can do a great job I know that. I’m very grateful. I’m very excited about it.”
The project faced delays due to Foxx’s health issues, including a stroke that resulted in a brain bleed, requiring him to take time away from the entertainment industry.
Currently, Foxx can be seen alongside Cameron Diaz in their new Netflix action-comedy “Back In Action,” which premiered on January 17th. The film features the duo as former CIA operatives who return to espionage years after retiring to start a family.
