Jamie Foxx Says Robert Downey Jr. Starred In A More Offensive Film Than Tropic Thunder
Jamie Foxx says that Robert Downey Jr. has starred in a more offensive film than Tropic Thunder.
The 2008 satire comedy stars Ben Stiller, Jack Black and Downey Jr among several other famous faces.
The movie follows a group of actors as they go to shoot a movie about the Vietnam war in the jungle, but soon find themselves involved in a real battle.
Watch the trailer for Tropic Thunder below…
The film was a huge success and grossed $195.7 million, along with earning an 82% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Despite it being a smash hit, it was met with some backlash over Downey Jr.’s performance.
However, Foxx claims that the Iron Man actor has starred in a more offensive film than Tropic Thunder.
Downey Jr. – who received an Oscar nomination for his performance – was subject to significant backlash for donning blackface throughout the film.
The Sherlock Holmes star plays Kirk Lazarus, a serious Australian actor who goes to extreme lengths to accurately portray an African-American soldier in the movie.
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Blackface is a theatrical form of makeup which is predominantly used by non-Black people who portray a Black person in the production they are working on.
Foxx believes that the unreleased 2016 film, All-Star Weekend, would’ve seen Downey Jr. play a much more offensive character than his one in Tropic Thunder.
The movie revolves around two die-hard basketball fans who win tickets to the NBA All-Star game.
In the film, Downey Jr.’s role is only credited as ‘Mexican Stranger’ – according to IMDb
Speaking about the project on The Joe Rogan Experience, Foxx said: “We all play different characters. I play a white, racist cop.
“Robert Downey Jr. plays a Mexican. I called Robert and I said, ‘Listen, I need you to play a Mexican’.
“He said, ‘Dude, here’s the deal. Sure. F*** it. Sure. Why not? F*** it. Sure. Of course. Mexican. Whatever’.”
The Django actor did reveal though that Downey Jr. was nervous about playing a Mexican due to the backlash he received from Tropic Thunder.
However, Foxx assured him it was OK after he ‘killed’ it as the role of an African-American soldier.
Despite being filmed in 2016, All-Star Weekend has been indefinitely shelved.
Downey Jr. has also opened up about donning blackface in the movie.
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Appearing on Rogan’s podcast, the Sherlock Holmes star says: “90 per cent of my Black friends were like, ‘Dude, that was great’.”
“I can’t disagree with them [the other 10 per cent], but I know where my heart lies.
“I think that it’s never an excuse to do something that is out of place and not of its time, but to me, it was blasting the cap on [the issue].
“I think having a moral psychology is job one. Sometimes, you just gotta go, ‘Yeah I effed up’.
“Not in my defence, but Tropic Thunder is about how wrong [blackface] is, so I take exception.”
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