Vivica A. Fox Shares How She Turned Down The “Two Can Play That Game” Script Three Times Because Of Its Poor Portrayal Of Black People

Vivica A. Fox, 54, is widely known for her long-standing career as an actress in film and television. Now, she’s making strides as a producer and has decided to share why producing films for the Black community is important following some tough experiences as an actress. 

“I love helping African-American filmmakers get their films made,” she told ESSENCE recently at the inaugural stop of this year’s Sistahs in Business Expo tour in Newark, New Jersey.

“I want to make sure that I’m very proud of the product; that it’s a true representation of my community and the script and the project,” she added. “I want to make sure that the images of African-Americans are as positive and as true as they can possibly be.” Fox said she focuses on the “finished product,” which has allowed her to have a permanent position in the industry as an actor, noting Hollywood hasn’t always had its best interests in protecting Black actors. As she continued, Fox revealed that she turned down the “Two Can Play That Game” script three times because the film initially intended to portray Black terribly.

“I think the reason why—no I know the reason why—I’ve been doing this for such a long time is that I fight,” she said. “When we did Two Can Play That Game, I fought for the way we talked, walked, the way we loved each other.” She continued, “Because the script, when I first got it, I turned it down three times because it just wasn’t a good representation of African-Americans, so I fought them on everything,” Fox admitted.

Fox also praised her mother for teaching her how to gracefully stand her ground in business. “I use that voice constructively because you get a lot more with sugar than with vinegar. That’s an old saying that a lot of people need to know is still true today,” she explained.