66 HOUSTON > AUGUST 2008
HOUSTON
CONFI
DENTIAL BY JILL KRASNY
PHOTOGRAPHY BY POLLY CHANDLER
ROLL CAMERA! She’s an actress, painter and songwriter, and she’s producing Justin Timberlake’s new movie. This artsy philanthropist is crazy like a Foxx...
Laurie Foxx can’t sit still.
Catching a break in New York’s posh Peninsula hotel after shopping
Th e Open Road, a fi lm she produced, to distributors at Cannes, the Houstonbased
Renaissance woman is bouncy and happy—and not completely sure
what to do with herself when she’s not busy enough to drive a bee crazy.
After all, she worked behind the scenes of two fi lms this year, having also
co-written Parasites Rule, a comedy about three girlfriends who discover
the holy grail of weight loss. She’s also honorary chair of the Houston Art
League’s annual gala this fall. Painting, songwriting and singing keep this
mother of two reeling, as well.
Set partially in Texas, Road is just what the name suggests—a roadtrip
fl ick. Based loosely on the relationship between football legend Don
Meredith and his son Michael, who also wrote the screenplay, the fi lm stars
Jeff Bridges, Kate Mara and Justin Timberlake. Yes, that Justin Timberlake.
In the movie, the guy who brought sexy back plays on Corpus Christi’s
baseball team, the Hooks.
A mutual friend introduced Foxx to Michael Meredith during a jaunt
to New Orleans on a private train sponsored by Patrón tequila. Meredith
convinced her she had to do the project. “You have to balance so many balls
in business—it can be diffi cult,” Foxx says of tackling producing for the
fi rst time. “Some people love horror, some people love pulp fi ction. But as
a producer, it’s kind of subjective. You do really pick from the heart, and I
felt drawn to [Road] in that way. I wanted to work on a project with people
I really enjoyed, and Michael and I instantly clicked.”
Th e movie, in which Foxx also has a small acting role, was mostly
made in the boondocks of fi lmmaker-friendly Louisiana, a fact Foxx doesn’t
hesitate to lament. She hopes to put Texas on the moviemaking map. “In
Texas, you’ve really got the terrain for fi lming,” says Foxx. “It has everything,
but because of the way things work, the industry refuses to see it that way …
yet.” (Hopefully it will see things diff erently soon. Gov. Rick Perry recently
signed an incentive bill which allows fi lmmakers to recoup fi ve percent of
what they spend in Texas, just so long as they spend at least $1 million and
shoot 80 percent of their project here.)
Foxx, who’s married to oil-biz exec Kevin Foxx, has performed as an
actress in everything from indie-horror fl icks to mainstream radio spots.
A songwriter name-checked by the Houston Press for playing her soft-rock
piano-heavy ballads at pubs and clubs all over town, she was once even
nominated by the Press’ readers as best female acoustic/folk act. A tune that
she wrote, “One Heart,” appears in the new fi lm, Abby.
Th e producer’s mother, an established painter in her home state
of Oklahoma, encouraged her creativity. “I used to play piano and once
had to do a national competition in front of a whole panel of judges,” she
remembers. “I did Bach, Chopin, all of those big ones, and it was so nervewracking.
But I think it’s what drew [my personality] out.” Th e newly minted
fi lmmaker has also followed directly in her mom’s footsteps, as her beautiful
semi-abstract paintings show. Th e University of Oklahoma grad’s cloudy
and colorful pieces refl ect her own emotions—no boundaries, no setup, just
her brush and the canvas. And though she’s not currently creating work for
a specifi c show, she continues to work on a commission basis.
Foxx shows no signs of slowing down, even with Road in postproduction
and awaiting a release date. Th e Art League’s gala is coming up
fast in November, and it’s likely that her artwork will be up for grabs at the
gala’s auction. With so many enthusiasms, one wonders, has Foxx found her
true artistic calling? Well, of course. All of them. “I have to create,” Foxx
smiles. “I’m a big completer, a ‘see it through’ kind of person. And when I go
to bed at night … I sleep really well.” H
‘ROAD’ SHOW Foxx at the Sabine-to-Bagby Promenade in Houston
