CENTURY CITY, Calif., Sept. 13, 2000 — He’s done comedy, he’s done drama. But Jamie Foxx as an action star? It’s news to him.
“I didn’t know it was gonna be an action movie,” the former stand-up said at the Tuesday night premiere of “Bait,” a high-tech action comedy. “I just did my thing, and the next thing you know, we’re doing action.”
In fact, Foxx does a lot of running in the film, which costars Doug Hutchison, David Morse, Mike Epps and Kimberly Elise. Foxx plays small-time crook Alvin Sanders, whose cellmate (Robert Pastorelli) has stolen $42 million in gold from the Federal Reserve. His partner, Bristol (Hutchison), is still at large, so a U.S. Treasury investigator (Morse) turns Alvin loose, hoping his possible knowledge will lead them to the gold and Bristol. Trouble is, Alvin doesn’t have a clue.
Foxx’s comedy background and penchant for improvising made for a lively set, which co-star Hutchison said helped the film.
“I never knew what was coming out of any given corner. He inspired some moments of pure rage which worked for the scenes, so I think it worked well. I think it balanced out nicely,” Hutchison said.
The film reunites Hutchison and Morse, who both played prison guards in last year’s “The Green Mile.” You might recall that Hutchison’s evil character was beaten up by Morse’s upstanding one. Won’t playing the villain again lead Hutchison to another showdown with Morse in “Bait”?
“I don’t want to tell you if you haven’t seen the movie,” Hutchison sighs. “But let’s say I’m waiting for a film when David and I can play best buddies, or at least maybe I can be the one beating the crap out of him.”
Morse’s response?
“Never gonna happen,” he answered mischievously.
The premiere also brought out director Antoine Fuqua (with wife Lela Rochon), Magic Johnson, Foxx’s “Jamie Foxx Show” co-stars Garcelle Beauvais and Ellia English, Cedric The Entertainer, and cast members of “The Steve Harvey Show” and “Blair Witch 2: Book of Shadows.”
