3. Christian Louboutin and Jimmy Choo shoes. They simply make the best shoes. I just bought a pair of little booties the other day. They are like artwork, and they make for fabulous conversation pieces.
4. Noxzema cleansing cloths. I take it old-school! I always use them to take off my makeup.
5. La Perla lingerie. Expensive but freaking beautiful. I mean, the lace, the detail … everything. It lies on your body like butter. I like bright colors, because I like a hint of color underneath a suit or a blouse.
6. Dermalogica skin-care products. I swear by them. I also keep the Dermalogica antioxidant hydramist toner spray with me when I travel. If I am on a long flight and feeling a little dehydrated, I spray that right on.
7. Jo Malone candles. I wear the Jo Malone Red Roses fragrance, so of course I love the Red Roses candles. But I have fallen in love with the Pine & Eucalyptus blend. It’s only available around the holidays, so I stock up. It makes my home smell like a spa. People walk in and they say, “Damn, and your house smells good, too!”
8. Spanx. Go to the original for shapewear, and give thanks to the creator, Sara Blakely. There’s a reason she is a billionaire! I have no problem with a good old undergarment.
9. My airplane blankie. You won’t see me using one of them blankets on the plane. I bring my own, one that I know is nice and clean! And yes, I spray a little of that Downy fabric softener so it smells good.
10. Wine. Don’t let people tell you that you have to spend a lot. Francis Ford Coppola’s Pinot Noir is an inexpensive red that you can count on. For white, try Kendall-Jackson’s Chardonnay. Now, champagne is worth the splurge. Personally, I love Cristal. And if you’re making me a martini, I like a dirty martini. That’s when you add just a touch of the brine from the olive jar. I love it with olives stuffed with blue cheese.
11. My go-to floral arrangement. I always send two dozen multicolored roses arranged in a vase. It’s nice and colorful, and it smells delicious. And I stay true to the design because I want people to just see them and say, “Vivica is thinking of me.” This past Mother’s Day, my mother told me that when they were coming to the door, she said, “I know my baby bought me this.” It’s nice to have a signature that speaks before the card.
12. Sneakers. I wasn’t into sneakers until a few years ago when my knees were like, “We need a break.” I think there’s something chic about Adidas sneakers, white or black, that go as well with a warm-up suit as a leather jacket. I have also fallen in love with Tory Burch sneakers for when I travel. They’re so cute, and they feel a little high-end for the lower price point.
13. Jewelry. I am such a diamond girl, and Candy Ice is my favorite jewelry designer. I love the rose-cut diamond slice floral ring. When I went through a breakup, I bought myself a ball-and-chain diamond bracelet. And when I broke up with my husband, I bought myself three beautiful watches, one by Harry Winston and two by Chopard.
14. CORE Hydration water. It’s my newest discovery. It keeps you hydrated and matches your body’s pH balance. I just know I like it.
15. P.F. Chang’s and California Pizza Kitchen. These are two of the chains I favor. And by “favor,” I mean that I know the menus by heart. At P.F. Chang’s, I love the Hong Kong sea bass, and the lobster-and-shrimp fried rice. At CPK you’ll see me getting a salad or, if it’s a cheat day, a pizza-and-pasta combo.
What’s In My Bag at All Times
My girlfriends make fun of me because my bag is so heavy that it’s like I’m carrying around a drugstore. Here are the essentials:
• First, the bag itself: Christian Louboutin makes a beautiful one that just goes perfectly with my Louboutin shoes. I like Louis Vuitton because it is such a staple—everyone knows what you have when you walk into a room with their bag. And, of course, Céline. I treated myself to a Céline black luggage tote last year. It is simply the ultimate bag for the professional woman.
• I have to have clear mascara because my brows have got to be in place. My favorite mascara is Maybelline Great Lash clear mascara.
• I always have my little Brookstone fan for what I call my private summers. Hot flash? Chill out.
• Honey, whether it’s a headache or standing all day on set, I want to be ready with Aleve. It’s also a great anti-inflammatory. When you’re standing in heels all day, your knees get so swollen.
• Jao Refresher hand sanitizer. I meet a lot of people and I can’t afford to get sick, so I always have a two-ounce bottle with me. It has a light moisturizer built in, so it doesn’t dry my hands.
• It’s nice to have a few Burt’s Bees Lip Shimmers in different colors. They have about fourteen shades from light Champagne to dark Plum, so believe it or not, I have a whole bunch of different ones in my bag. My favorite is Peony. They have just a little pop of peppermint, so you’re just ready to kiss!
• My lip gloss is Sisley Phyto-Lip Star in White Diamond.
• My go-to eyeliner is by Stila. I use the Stay All Day Waterproof one in a charcoal shade.
• If you are as much of a brow girl as me, you want the Brow Wiz pencil from Anastasia Beverly Hills. It’s a fine-point retractable pencil that lets you draw in little hairs or define the line, and then you turn it around and use the brush to blend the color. But that’s not enough for me. I always have an additional brow brush. Always.
• My powders are the MAC C7 and C4 Studio Fix Powder Plus foundations. They are not heavy, but they do the job.
• Pens and highlighters. I keep them handy so I can mark up scripts. I highlight my lines, and also things that I think could be punched up or worked on.
My Own Top Five Favorite Performances
1. Independence Day
It’s a sentimental favorite of mine because it was such a breakout for me. I especially love my running scene, when the aliens first start hitting all the targets. I give an amazing hair toss. I save the kid, and then the dog—and later, the First Lady! At the premiere they clapped for me during the scene, and I had such a Sally Field moment of “You like me!”
2. Soul Food
My favorite scene is when I am walking on Lakefront Trail in Chicago with my on-screen son Brandon Hammond, who was about twelve at the time. He tries to get something by me and I say, “I carried you for nine months, went through twenty-three hours, forty-five minutes, and ten seconds of labor. Wiped your little butt while your lil’ ding-a-ling pee-peed in my face. So Mama knows when you’re up to something.” People come up and say that to me, and I finish the line with them.
3. Kill Bill
Love it, love it. Of course the scene for me is when Uma and I fight and trash the house in Pasadena. Quentin Tarantino had a special booty light trained right on my butt to make sure people could see it. The movie is a classic, so I know a hundred years from now film students will be looking at my booty and it will hold up!
4. Set It Off
So many good scenes in that film, but the best for me is right after the robbery. A lot of people do my monologue on social media as an acting exercise or to just be dramatic. They always tag me and I love it.
5. Two Can Play That Game
I won’t spoil nothing, but there is a scene in a bar where Morris Chestnut says my character’s name, Shanté. I have to turn, and it is just such a movie-star moment. It gets me every time.
Fox Film School: Eleven Astonishing Performances to Learn From
1. Pam Grier in Jackie Brown
You know she is my all-time idol, but her performance in this Quentin Tarantino film goes beyond just my love of her. Throughout the movie, you see Pam thinking as Jackie, right from the start. The whole movie centers on her planning this heist, so it makes sense. So often you see her working out a plan and solving a problem without even saying a word. Also it was good to see an older woman being sexy and
strong. I would love to do that with Quentin as well. Hint, hint.
2. Faye Dunaway in Mommie Dearest
Whatever you think of the movie, Faye acted her ass off. She is ferocious and scary and sometimes winning, even as she is always mean. Yes, the wire-hanger scene is my favorite, because it is so freaking scary. It’s been parodied so much, but if you watch it, I guarantee you your heart will be in your throat and you’ll be as frightened as Christina. She is going to reach through that screen and hit you. The sad thing is that Faye so inhabited the role, invited Joan Crawford in so fully, that I think she got stuck being Joan. You gotta learn when to let a character go. But if I am going through the channels, Faye stops me every time.
3. Denzel Washington in Training Day
Directed by the amazing Antoine Fuqua. Denzel is just so sexy. That charisma jumps off the screen, and it’s so important because you have to believe that this is a dirty cop you wouldn’t mind gettin’ dirty with.
4. Meryl Streep in The Devil Wears Prada
She could have just been a bitch, right? But instead she is such a charming bitch. I love that scene where she dresses down Anne Hathaway’s character for acting like she is above caring about fashion. She goes into all the details of how many people are involved in any craft, how one decision leads to another, choices that influence other artists and create jobs and industries. Artists should cheer when they see that scene because she could be talking about any of our projects. And watch how she moves! She is having this one-sided conversation, and she is always just keeping her hands busy so the monologue is active and engaging. It’s just brilliant.
5. Will Smith and Jaden Smith in The Pursuit of Happyness
I was traveling during the premiere, so I saw it late. A friend warned me, “Better bring that Kleenex.” He was right. No spoilers, but the scene where Will’s character, Chris, goes to hug his son in the day care after all they have been through together—homelessness but never hopelessness … Okay, now I’m crying again.
6. Viola Davis in Fences
She blew me away as Rose. How do you do a performance on Broadway 114 times, then bring it to the screen, and still bring the urgent spirit of that monologue? She just breaks open after her husband tells her he is having a baby with another woman. You believe every word, and you believe that Rose is fighting to find the strength to hold on to her family. Then, when she takes in that baby and delivers that line to Denzel, oh my God: “From right now … this child got a mother. But you a womanless man.” By the time she says that, you are right there with her.
7. Debra Winger and Shirley MacLaine in Terms of Endearment
I can’t pick one because the chemistry makes their performances so entwined. They make you believe that these two women have real history as mother and daughter. How often do we see that realness on-screen?
8. Diana Ross in Mahogany
I think I was eleven when it came out, and we saw it right away. “There goes my girl,” I said. “That’s my woman right there.” Diana is just so glamorous in the film, and she gives it her everything. When she loses it and lets fame go to her head, it is so real. “They love me! Mahogany!”
9. Richard Roundtree in Shaft
Here is this black detective, practically a superhero, whose very presence demands respect. It’s astounding that this was his first feature film, but I think it’s telling that he was a model beforehand. He knows just how to hold himself for the camera, and he fills the screen.
10. Charlize Theron in Monster
I love her presence, and I admire that she showed her versatility right out of the gate. So smart for a pretty girl to play a nasty-looking serial killer. People talk about the thirty pounds Charlize put on and the fake teeth, but it’s all her in that role. She portrays the conflict of fear and rage within Aileen Wuornos.
11. Louis Gossett Jr. in An Officer and a Gentleman
Marine Gunnery Sergeant Emil Foley! He dominates every scene. You know that the script originally called for a white man to break Richard Gere down so he could build him back up. Louis took it and made it his. He brings such decency to Foley. Even when he just seems so mean, you know it’s to make Richard’s character a better man.
A Playlist to Amp Up Your Hustle
Whether it’s for a workout or a date night, you will be ready!
1. “Rock with You”—Michael Jackson
2. “Lucky Star”—Madonna
3. “We Will Rock You”—Queen
4. “Formation”—Beyoncé
5. “Sweet Child o’ Mine”—Guns N’ Roses
6. “I Wanna Be Your Lover”—Prince
7. “Don’t Stop Believin’”—Journey
8. “Roar”—Katy Perry
9. “Remember the Time”—Michael Jackson
10. “If I Could Turn Back Time”—Cher
11. “No Matter What They Say”—Lil’ Kim
12. “Never”—Heart
13. “Run the World (Girls)”—Beyoncé
14. “Upside Down”—Diana Ross
15. “1999”—Prince
16. “Better Be Good to Me”—Tina Turner
17. “Livin’ on a Prayer”—Bon Jovi
18. “Real Love”—Mary J. Blige
19. “Everywhere”—Fleetwood Mac
20. “Walk This Way”—Aerosmith and Run DMC
21. “We Are the Champions”—Queen
The Playlist for When You’re Alone in Your Castle
Tupac and Kenny G? Why not? I don’t know what it is about “Songbird,” but it makes me feel like I’m on a boat in Jamaica.
1. “One of Those Days”—Whitney Houston
2. “Everything She Wants”—Wham!
3. “Muscles”—Diana Ross
4. “All Eyez on Me”—Tupac Shakur
5. “Careless Whisper”—George Michael
6. “Songbird”—Kenny G
7. “The Lady in My Life”—Michael Jackson
8. “No Ordinary Love”—Sade
9. “My Heart Will Go On”—Celine Dion
10. “I Will Always Love You”—Whitney Houston
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
When I was a young woman in search of my dream in New York City, I would often walk by the Flatiron Building on Fifth Avenue. Its wedge shape always stuck out to me, and I was that Indy girl looking up at this beautiful, unique tower. When I went to my first meeting at St. Martin’s Press, I walked into that same building I loved all those years ago. As soon as I met the wonderful people there, I felt the next chapter of my life—becoming an author—happening with them. They respected me as a talent, valuing my own story as a grown woman in my fifties, and supporting me in my dream of creating other stories to share. With so many writers I respect calling St. Martin’s Press home, I knew it was the right place for me to be.
I am so grateful to my editor, Elizabeth Beier. I love your energy and commitment to excellence. And also your honesty. You inspired me to, as you told me, hit a homer right out of the park while wearing Christian Louboutins. Thanks also to my St. Martin’s family, including Jennifer Enderlin and Sally Richardson, Meg Drislane, Cathy Turiano, Mike Storrings, Karen Masnica, John Karle, Brant Janeway, Jonathan Bennett, Beatrice Jason, and Nicole Williams.
To my literary agent, Albert Lee: You have so much soul, and you maintain a passion for making good books. You are so thorough, writing the most detailed emails I have ever received. Each one is a mini-book, but an enjoyable read.
I so value my friendship with my publicist, BJ Coleman. You made my dream come true by connecting the dots to make me an author. We share so many passions, from fashion to branding, and I am grateful that are always making sure
that I slay the game.
I say that Kevin Carr O’Leary is part of my rainbow coalition. For the first months, when we spoke only on the phone, I thought you were black. Imagine my surprise when I finally met you in person. You are my new white chocolate brother, and I thank you for capturing my voice and my journey so perfectly. I loved working with you.
To my business partner, Lita Richardson: You are such a gem, and I thank you so much for your wisdom and guidance. I am indebted to you for always reminding me about the business in show business. The day I met you, my pretty lawyer, was one of the biggest blessings of my life.
I thank every single person who supported me in my career as I went from Indianapolis to Hollywood. Special thanks to my mother, Everylena Fox, and my siblings, Alecia “Sugie” Williams, Marvin “Brotha Marv” Fox, and William “Sandy” Fox. To all of my extended family and friends: I love you guys and you all know exactly who you are.
To my fabulous fans: I know without you, there would be no me.
And I thank God for my beautiful journey. No matter what is given to me or taken from me, I find strength in knowing that I will always be a blessed child of God.
INDEX
The index that appeared in the print version of this title does not match the pages in your e-book. Please use the search function on your e-reading device to search for terms of interest. For your reference, the terms that appear in the print index are listed below.
Aerosmith (band)
After Earth (movie)
Alba, Jessica
Albert II, Prince of Monaco
Aleve
Allen, Byron
Allen, Jonelle
Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz
Angelou, Maya
Ansin, Ed
Ansin, James
Apollonia (musician)
apologizing
appearance/style
bags and
essentials, recommendations for
exercise and
mistakes in
prepping for
quality of items and
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