From directorReginald Hudlinand based on a true story, the inspirational dramaSafetyfollows Ray McElrathbey (Jay Reeves), a Clemson University football safety who finds himself in the unexpected position of having to raise his 11-year-old brother Fahmarr (Thaddeus J. Mixson). Through dedication, determination and persistence, his unwillingness to give up on his dreams and his desire to keep his family together help him succeed both on and off the field.
During the virtual press junket for the Disney+ film, Collider got the opportunity to chat 1-on-1 withCorinne Foxx(who plays Kaycee, a fellow student and the love interest for Ray) about how she connected to this story, her audition process for the role, her journey to pursuing acting, the best advice she got about Hollywood from her dadJamie Foxx, the stand-out days on set, and what she’s learned from the directors that she’s worked with. She also talked about how she’s producing a TV series with her dad that’s based on their relationship, and how she’d like to direct in the future.
COLLIDER: This film is a showcase of strength, drive and courage, all in the name of family. It’s a very inspirational story. When you read this script, what aspect of it most inspired you?
CORINNE FOXX: I have two sisters that are 12 and 13 years old, and when I read the sacrifices that Ray made for his 11-year-old brother, I instantly connected to it because, thinking for myself, if I was in that situation, which I would never be in, but if I was, I would go to the ends of the earth to take care of my sisters. And so, I think my real life role of being a big sister really attracted me to this project.
What was your audition process like for this?
FOXX: I read about three or four times for the role. They kept asking me back in. I read by myself the first two times, and then I did a chemistry read with Jay [Reeves] twice. I remember leaving the chemistry read going, “I think that went really well.” Clearly, it did because I got the role. I knew in the room with Jay that we had a connection and that we could really create this relationship on screen that felt real.
Because the whole audition process seems so weird and unnatural, how do you keep from getting too attached to a character if it’s something that you really want to do, before you actually find out whether you get to play the character?
FOXX: It’s tough, and all us actors have to go through it. You get rejected at some point in your career. What I’ve been doing is just being excited that, in that moment, you get to be that character. Whether or not you get to play it for real, that’s another thing. But if you get sent the scripts and the sides, for at least a brief moment, you get to be that, so I just embrace that and bring my own flair to it. And then, I always throw the script away and don’t think about it after I’ve done the audition, or else it’ll drive me crazy.
When you’re doing auditions, are you someone who is generally pretty hard on yourself?
FOXX: It’s tough. I’m a perfectionist. If I prepare something that I go in and read, and it didn’t come out the way that I wanted it to or that I had planned, I beat myself up a little bit. But to get an opportunity to play somebody, whether or not you’re going to get the role, even for that brief moment, that’s really fun. I enjoy that a lot.
Did you always want to be an actor or did you take a journey to get to that point?
FOXX: It was definitely a journey. I grew up on sets, obviously, so I always wanted to be an actor, but I felt like that was something that was expected of me from people. I really wanted to get an education, go to college, study something completely different, not in the entertainment industry, and I did that. Once I graduated, I realized, “Okay, now that I’ve done this and I’ve done my rebellion of, ‘I’m not gonna do what you think I’m gonna do,’ I’m actually gonna pursue my passion, which is acting." And so, I studied acting, and the rest is history. But it was something that I wanted to decide on my own and make sure that I wasn’t just influenced by other people.
What’s the best bit of acting advice that your dad has given you, and is it something that you recognized as good advice right away, or is it something that hit you later on a set?
FOXX: My dad has given me a lot of advice about the entertainment industry in general. He did a great job at taking me to events, but then also making sure my home life was very, very normal and making sure that I knew that Hollywood isn’t the real world. We talk about that a lot. Our whole family feels like outsiders in Hollywood because we’re not in the mix like that. We’re very normal. For me, as I’m starting my career, there’s just this reminder to not get caught up in the glitz and the glam of everything, and to just really hone in on the craft of what I’m doing.
It also sounds really fun, but also unusual that you’re going to produce a comedy series with your dad about your relationship. What made you guys realize there was a TV show in that? Will it be weird to see somebody essentially playing you?
FOXX: Well, we had these funny stories from my teenage-hood of how he’s embarrassed me doing this and that, and we’ve been telling them for years. My dad was like, “This is a TV show. I’m telling you, this is a TV show.” And I was like, “Okay, dad.” And it really is a TV show. It’s gonna be on Netflix. It’s my first time producing, which was really fun because I got to cast a girl, Kyla-Drew, to play a 15-year-old version of me, and she does an amazing job. It’s also my dad’s return to television sinceThe Jamie Foxx Show, so I know a lot of people are really excited to see him in that kind of role again. Also, I’m excited because it’s my literal diary come to life. It’s all of these things that, at the time, felt like the end of the world and now are just funny episodes.
WithSafety, what was the most fun day on set?
FOXX: I would say the most fun day was the day that we shot at an actual Clemson football game, so there was 80,000 people in the stands. I got to be in the stands in the student section and the boys who were playing the football players got to run down the hill, which is this very iconic part of the Clemson stadium, and actually run a few plays with 80,000 people cheering them on. Only collegiate athletes get that feeling, and they got to have it. It was really, really fun for us.
What was the most challenging day on set?
FOXX: The heavy scenes that we had were challenging, emotionally, just to get to those places. One in particular was when Ray has to ask the NCAA to change the rules, so that he can get help. That was just a very emotional day on set. Ray was really there, Fay was there, and it was a life-changing moment for them, so we wanted to do it justice. Also, everyone was crying off in their corners, because it was really emotional.
What did you most enjoy about getting to explore the relationship between Ray and Kaycee, and then adding Fahmarr into the mix? What was it like to form that bond together?
FOXX: Jay and I actually took a lot of responsibility for T.J. [Thaddeus J. Mixson], who plays Fahmarr in the film because he was only 11 years old when we were shooting. We made sure that we really became this big sister/big brother to him. He was in school, so we took him to field trips at a museum because we wanted to build that bond, so that relationship felt real on screen. In terms of me and Jay, we already established something in the chemistry read, and then he actually took me like out on a date. We went and got tacos and were like, “Let’s actually get to know each other, so that we can really feel like there’s something real here.” So, he took me on a date. I had a boyfriend, so it was the platonic date.
This is your highest profile project. As the female lead in this, what was your first day on set?
FOXX: It was really, really exciting and super surreal. Because my audition process was pretty quick, up to when I had to actually leave to go shoot, I auditioned and it felt like two weeks later, I was on a plane to go do it. It was very surreal and I was actually the only woman in the cast, except for the woman who plays Fahmarr’s mother. But I had no scenes with her, so I was the only female on set a lot of the time. So, that was an interesting dynamic.
Your character is a sports fan and a sports reporter. How big of a sports fan are you? Did you have an awareness of sports or did you have to learn a bit first?
FOXX: There was definitely a learning curve, for sure. I went to USC as a Trojan, and I went to lots of collegiate football games growing up, so it was familiar to me. I don’t know if I love it enough that I’d ever be a sports reporter, so I definitely had to learn the vernacular and all the technical words that a sports reporter would have to know. I do love football and collegiate football, but not as much as Kaycee.
What was it like to work with Reginald Hudlin? How do you feel about the way that he worked with actors on set and the atmosphere that he created?
FOXX: Reggie is great. I think he was the perfect director for this because he’s a mix of very focused, and he was able to get us to where we need to go for these emotional scenes, but he’s also really fun. He was playing music on set and taking us out to eat. He’s a very charming person. I think that blend of lightheartedness that he naturally has, and then also his ability to really steer us into these emotional scenes, was perfect for this movie.
What are the most important things that you feel you’ve learned about acting from the directors that you’ve worked with?
FOXX: Wow. It’s interesting because my first movie [47 Meters Down: Uncaged] was shot completely underwater, so there were many different lessons. Those were very intense lessons. I think that every set is its own ecosystem and I’ve really noticed that the director is really the center of that. However they are, that’s how everybody feels. And Reggie did such a great job at creating a great ecosystem, so that we all felt comfortable to really get to where we need to go in those scenes.
Are you someone who’s very curious about the technical stuff, or do you try to keep blinders on and focus on the acting stuff?
FOXX: Actually, growing up, when I would be on set with my dad, he would make me go up to different crew members and say, “Go ask them what their job is.” And so, I’d be 10 years old and so nervous and be like, “What do you do?” My dad built that in me, to make sure that I was aware of what everyone’s job is, what they’re doing, and to make sure that I’m kind to everyone and respectful of everyone. I don’t know too many technical things, but I definitely naturally am curious about it.
You’re getting into producing a little bit, but have you thought about directing?
FOXX: I definitely think I will direct something in the future. I’m not sure what, but I see that for myself. Moving into producing is such a great segue to just understand what that process is like, and being able to work more directly with directors. I definitely think that’s gonna be something I end up doing.
