Jamie Foxx and Mike Tyson have a decades-long companionship. Foxx told Screen Rant in 2017 that, one night early in his career, he did an impression of the boxing legend during a comedy routine. Unbeknownst to Foxx, Tyson was in the audience. Tyson let Foxx continue the impression, which went over well with both Tyson and the audience and led to a lasting friendship. “It gets a standing ovation, Mike Tyson comes up to me, says, ‘There he is! You funny, come here.’ And I started hanging out with Mike Tyson at 21 years old,” Foxx said.
In 2021, it was announced that Foxx would be portraying Tyson in a limited series on Tyson’s life, Variety reported. “I look forward to collaborating with Martin [Scorsese], Antoine [Fuqua], Jamie, and the entire creative team to bring audiences a series that not only captures my professional and personal journey but also inspires and entertains,” Tyson said. The idea of Foxx portraying Tyson had been thrown around for six years leading up to this news.
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During a 2015 visit on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” Foxx detailed what Tyson’s life was like when the two met. ” … I started hanging out with Mike Tyson at a time where he was bigger than life,” Foxx said. “So I didn’t know that I was preparing at that time by watching him.”
