Kerry Washington may have taken a more diplomatic approach in handling Spike Lee’s criticism of her most recent film, Django Unchained, but Jamie Foxx is hitting him back as hard as he gave it. In a new The Guardian profile, the Oscar winner is asked about the director’s claims that the Quentin Tarantino-helmed film is “disrespectful” to his ancestors. Lee said he wouldn’t see the movie based on “principle.” When prompted on the comments, Foxx dismissed the, as “shady” and “irresponsible.”
From the article:
"The question for me is: where’s Spike Lee coming from?" he says. "He didn’t like Whoopi Goldberg, he doesn’t like Tyler Perry, he doesn’t like anybody, I think he’s sort of run his course. I mean, I respect Spike, he’s a fantastic director. But he gets a little shady when he’s taking shots at his colleagues without looking at the work. To me, that’s irresponsible.
Besides, he adds, the history of entertainment is littered with white guys who told black stories, and white singers who sang black songs. Sometimes that’s good and sometimes it’s bad. "But you got to look at the individual cases. When Pat Boone covered Little Richard, you think, ‘Huh?’, he’s got no affinity for it. Good Golly Miss Molly? I don’t think so. But you can’t tell me that Eminem ain’t hot ‘cos he’s white or that Elvis Presley isn’t a bad motherfucker, or that Quentin Tarantino can’t do whatever he likes, ‘cos damn straight he can."
The actor admits that OK, yes, he had to overcome some qualms of his own. But he was reassured by the director’s reputation and by the presence of a peerless supporting cast.
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