*EUR/Electronic Urban Report was delighted to chop it up recently with NAACP Image Award-winning actress Vivica A Fox about her new holiday movie “A Christmas Cruise,” premiering Dec. 16 on the ION network.
Vivica portrays ‘Pam,’ an aspiring novelist, who is invited along for a holiday-themed sail by her best friend and unexpectedly finds the love of her life on board. But what will happen when the ship returns to port for Christmas?
Fox began her career with roles on daytime soap dramas such as “Days of Our Lives” and “Generations,” and she’s best known for her breakthrough performance in the 1996 sci-fi blockbuster “Independence Day.” In 2015, she was cast as Cookie Lyon’s sister for the second season of the hit Fox music drama “Empire,” and in 2016, she reprised her ID role in Roland Emmerich’s “Independence Day: Resurgence.”
Vivica co-stars opposite Kristoff St. John, Jessica Morris, Rib Hillis, Corin Nemec and Nick Viall in “The Christmas Cruise,” directed by her longtime creative collaborator David DeCoteau. Fox and St. John also serve as producers on the project, and she told us that reuniting with Kristoff made her job as an actress that much easier due to their pre-existing “chemistry.”
Check out our conversation with Vivica A. Fox below.
What was it about the character of Pam that appealed to you initially?
Vivica: She reminded me a lot of myself. I’m so much of a workaholic that I’ve kinda forgotten about my love life. And I just love that she went looking for one thing and something else completely happened. Sometimes, life is about the unexpected and being able to allow yourself to be open for new adventures.
In what ways do you relate to the relationship issues addressed in “A Christmas Cruise.” Have you ever been surprised by the unexpected like Pam?
Vivica: I’ve always made it a cardinal rule not to fall in love with my co-stars but I have found myself a couple of times going, “Hmm… maybe I need to break that rule.” Because when you work with people and you spend a lot of time with them, a lot of times, you don’t take the time to get to know them. So I always make it a cardinal rule not to date my co-stars but lately, I’ve been having some yummy co-stars that’s made me kinda go, “Hmmm… well, let me think about it.” Maybe one time I might try to open my heart to that.
How much of your own persona did you add to Pam?
Vivica: She’s a workaholic and she’s got this mom who is always pressuring her about, “Who you bringing home?” And I think a lot of us can relate to that right now. A lot of women are choosing career over marriage and children. They’re living their lives and having kids a little later in life. It’s a changing of the guard, where women are in more power-positions, making equal money, so things are changing. So for me, that was very easy to play because it’s kinda like my life. I always get somebody who’s like, “Hey girl, I see you working. I know you’re busy but how’s your love life?” And I’m always like, “Girl, it’s coming. But I ain’t tripping. I’m happy. My bills are paid.”
I enjoyed watching the black love energy between you and Kristoff. Talk about that creative chemistry.
Vivica: I was so glad when they told me that Kristoff is going to be cast in the film. I hadn’t worked with him in years and it was, for me, a wonderful reunion because he was my very first love interest onscreen when I did “Generations.” That was my first acting role. Kristoff and I went through a lot of acting adventures and it was fun to go down memory lane and talk about, “You remember when?” We shot this film in less than two weeks, so we didn’t have to create chemistry, we had that. And I knew going into it that it would make it a lot easier for me. He’s such a good actor. He’s tall — ‘cause I’m a tall girl and sometimes it’s kinda hard to find your tall, good-looking actors that have skills. So it made my job a lot easier.
Speaking of easy — I’ve watched you onscreen for two decades and you always make your job look effortless. Did you find Pam to be challenging?
Vivica: I have to give that up to my co-star. I’ve watched them film myself about 3-4 times and normally I’m so critical of my work but I give hats off to the director David and my main co-star Jessica Morris. Jessica does a lot of the franchise with us ‘cause we’ve done a lot of films for Lifetime that’s the “Wrong” franchise; “The Wrong Man,” “The Wrong Child,” “The Wrong Student” — we’ve done all of these films together with David and Jessica and I normally star in them together, which makes my life easy. We can come in and run lines together and it’s like, BOOM! — we make it so effortless. So I commend my co-stars and my director for that.
And your other co-star, Corin Nemec — I was a huge fan of his 90’s series “Parker Lewis Can’t Lose,” so it was fun watching his comical performance in “A Christmas Cruise.”
Vivica: I had never worked with him before and he came in and he was doing those scenes… girl — we were on the floor. I can’t tell you how many times he broke us and I’m pretty good at not getting broke (bust out laughing). He was so funny — to take that character and just fly with it. I loved working with him. I was like, “We gotta figure out how to make this a series or do something with you. Who are you?” And they were like, “He was a kid star.” It was a joy working with him.
Are you and director David DeCoteau the go-to TV dream team for the holiday season?
Vivica: This is the sixth film that (David) and I have done together. Last year we did “A Husband for Christmas” for the ION network. So we were thrilled when they came back and said, “We want you guys to do another Christmas movie.” They approached us with “A Christmas Cruise” and whenever David does a project it’s a packaged deal that I’m a co-producer and most of the time I either star or co-star.
“A Christmas Cruise” isn’t a “chick flick” but it will appeal to anyone who’s romantic.
Vivica: That’s why I’m so glad that it kinda gave you different perspectives from the guys, the girls, the working woman. It’s not like, “Oh, come save me. Come rescue me.” It kinda showed how guys make choices and take a chance on love too, and how my character is so into her thing and then she made different choices. Then you get the comedy with Corin. Guys can sit down and enjoy this film with their girlfriends, and it’s also family oriented. The family can enjoy it and have a good time and get some good laughs.
How do you feel about the sudden rise of #BlackGirlMagic and it being recognized in mainstream television?
Vivica: It’s about damn time. I’ve been acting for over 20 years and we were always the co-star or in the back somewhere and I remember being told very young that we couldn’t open international, that we couldn’t get the ratings and that was the reason why African American women couldn’t star in television shows. Boy, are we proving them wrong. Now you have several shows from “How To Get Away With Murder” to “Scandal” to “Empire” to “Being Mary Jane” to “Greenleaf” and the “The Have and the Have Nots,” where you’re seeing that black girl magic, and even in comedies with “Black-ish.” Now we’ve got “Grown-ish.” You’re seeing the networks finally trusting us as leads in television shows.
When you reflect on your amazing body of work, is there a particular character that you miss and wouldn’t mind revisiting?
Vivica: I just got off the road for three months doing the stage play “Two Can Play That Game.” So I got to play Shante and that was so much fun revisiting Shante. I had an amazing cast. Gary Dourdan, Porsha Williams, Carl Payne, Brely Evans, Vivian Green. I got to use one of my boys from “Vivica’s Black Magic,” Mike Strong, and give him an acting experience. I also got to produce that along with Je’Caryous Johnson and that was amazing. I had missed Shante and how much people love it because it’s like a cult classic. They’re always playing it.
What are your holiday plans?
Vivica: I’m headed to Toronto to do a Christmas movie for Hallmark and when I come back I’ve got two wonderful things. I’m going to Cancun for a mini vacation and a beautiful wedding for one of the ladies that’s got me working with AARP. They work with health for African Americans once we reach 50 years old. It’s about positive images and taking care of yourself. And then I’m going to Arizona and I’m hosting a New Year’s Eve party and then I’m going to spend a day and a half in Vegas and do a little gambling and go see a show with my godson and then I’m headed back to Chicago to do “Empire.”
Lastly, years ago there was talk about Tarantino serving up another installment of “Kill Bill.” Any updates on the status of that?
Vivica: I’ve heard the rumors too. For the last five years, it’s been floating around that he was going to do “Kill Bill 3” but rumor was that they were waiting on my daughter to grow up. I haven’t heard of it lately but if it’s my daughter then I better be somewhere in the flashback of memories.
We hope so too, Viv!
Catch Vivica A. Fox in “A Christmas Cruise,” Saturday, December 16, 9/8p (CT) on the ION network across the country.
Peep the trailer below.
The rebroadcast airs Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Check your local listings.