It seems as if Jamie Foxx is in the news at least once a month. Whether it's a new music video or film or a spot hosting an awards event, one thing is certain: The Terrell, Texas, native has been working hard this year.

After playing a musician who develops schizophrenia and becomes homeless in the 'The Soloist,' Foxx trades in the garment for a suit and tie in his latest film, 'Law Abiding Citizen.'

Directed by F. Gary Gray, the film follows a man (Gerard Butler) who, 10 years after his wife and daughter are brutally murdered, returns to exact justice on the assistant district attorney (Foxx) who prosecuted the case against their killers. His vengeance not only threatens the man who allowed mercy to supersede justice, but also the system and the city that made it so.

While speaking to Black Voices, Foxx talked about his reason for doing the film, bringing his character Shenehneh to the big screen and playing Mike Tyson.

What attracted you to this role?

Jamie Foxx: Gerard Butler. I'm a big fan from '300.' I know he probably thought I was a stalker, because I had the DVD with me all the time. Then we got my man Gary Gray, who's a great friend of mine, on board. He took the project with six weeks to prep. He's an absolute genius, and I just want everyone to know that he's a genius -- to have only have six weeks to prep for this movie and to turn it into what I thought was just a crazy incredible project. I look at Gerard Butler, and this was his first project that he was producing from his own company, and I've always wanted to work with F. Gary Gray, and we're going to work with each other again. So it was perfect for me.

Do you think the decision your character, a lawyer, made in the beginning of the film, which sets Gerard Butler's character off, was the right decision?

JF: Of course it's the right decision, but every right decision might be the wrong decision in distress. You have to look at it like the justice system is the best system that we've got, but our system works when it doesn't have anything to do with you. When you watch television or you read a story and you hear something tragic about someone you go, "Wow. That's what it is." But when it happens to you, it different. How do you react when the justice system seems like it's doing justice but it's not really satisfying that urge inside of you? So this is the right decision for my character, but it was just one of those times where it was wrong for this person, Gerard Butler, who really, really just went off the deep end.

How was shooting in Philly?

JF: Philly was great, man. I had a ball. Shout out to Mayor Nutter. Shout out to my man Charlie Mack, who's the first at the limo. Shout out to Will Smith out there doing his thing. We had a ball. The food was great. We went to this place that had this trout almandine that they turned me onto that was crazy. So it was just great, a great place and very accommodating.

You've been traveling on your last few films. Is there one place that helps you stay grounded?

JF: You mean like the home base. I got a spot in L.A., like a little ranch. It's out of L.A. It's chill. It's quiet. You reboot your computer and then you get back in the fracas when it's time.

What do you like about F. Gary Gray's style of direction?

JF: Listen, man, I'm going to be honest with you, dude. Take this and run with this. That dude right there, from what I witnessed watching him put this movie together, the pressure that he had on him, that dude right there is a genius. I would stack him against all of them right now. I've never seen anybody put it together that quick, and when you talk about F. Gary Gray you can't say, "That's an F. Gary Gray film." You know why, because he shoots in so many different styles. He can give you the style that you want, and that's unheard of, because most directors, they get one style and they stick with it, because that's what keeps them successful. But this dude can grab it all. I'm looking forward to him reaching in the future. He had taken four years, five years, off. So it's going to be great and interesting to see what he does in the future.

What was it like working with the Viola Davis?

JF: She's so much better than everyone else [laughs]. She acts so much better. I remember she was doing this thing, right, and I was so caught up. I couldn't even remember my lines. F. Gary walked up to me and whispered in my ear, "Why don't you just do facial expressions right now because you're killing me." Me and F. have known each other for a while and so we can joke with each other like, but she was just absolutely amazing. When I saw what she did in the film, I immediately came up with an idea, and so hopefully we'll be working together in the future on our own project.

You've have a lot going on with your music career and doing movies. What keeps you balanced and how do you have the time to do both?

JF: I think you have to carve out the time. You definitely have the time. Once a movie is over, you have plenty of free time to get up in the studio. I have a studio in my house, and so I get the music in at my house and we just stay on the plan. We've got a plan, myself and Leon Prescott, as far as our music is concerned. We've got a little plan to just knock all these albums out as soon as we can before I get too old in the game and then we'll just take our time finding the right movies, finding the right television scripts and just trying to do what we do. Hopefully folks will support it. I run everything through the hood. If the hood dig it, then I'm good. If the hood don't dig it, then I throw it away.

You did a great job hosting the BET Awards. Does that ever get old?

JF: Does it get old? I'll tell you what it does, and you know like I know, look at all of our, especially our African American entertainers, the ones who used to do comedy – they sort of like left it alone. I'm waiting on [Chris] Tucker to give me another one. I'm waiting on Eddie [Murphy] to give me something dangerous. I'm waiting on Martin [Lawrence]. Me and Martin are going to get together and do something. So it's like they sort of left the door wide open because when was the last time you've been to a black film and seen a black comedy. So I'm trying to go back and get that, because I went to dramatic roles because everyone else was doing comedy, but now everyone stopped doing comedy and are trying to be dramatic. So I'm going to grab that comedy thing now.

Have you seen anything good that you want to do in comedy?

JF: I've got it. I've got it. Me and Martin Lawrence are doing a Shenehneh and Wanda joint called 'Skank Robbers' and we rob banks from Northern California to Southern California. Can you say wrap? Forget about it. The script is bananas. We shot the trailer already. We got with Screen Gems and they're doing it. Martin Lawrence is a genius and the freakin' best. To see these characters dueling and have a relationship -- 'Thelma & Louise' type joint, it's going to be nuts.

When can we expect to see this?

JF: Next year, man.

JF: I can't speak on that now because there's so much talk about it, and I know that Mike wants me to do it, and I want to do it. I just want to let the dust clear. If we do it, I'm going to reach out to my man Taylor Hackford and try to make it happen.

Any other person out there that you think you could play?

JF: I've always loved the Marvin Gaye story but because we've already done 'Ray' I could never do that.

Why is it that with so many of the top African American pioneers there are so many issues in with who owns the rights to their stories?

JF: Because we live in a capitalistic, greedy society. When you live in a society like that it's tough, especially when it comes to music. Music is like the drug game. Music is like selling dope. These dudes, they play for keeps. If they ain't got what they want out of it, it's not going to happen. Some of the Marvin Gaye story, there are a lot of evil things that went on and people don't want a lot of that stuff to get out.

Whether it's Jackie Robinson, Red Foxx, Richard Pryor, Marvin Gaye, it just doesn't seem like we can't get these stories on the big screen.

JF: Money hungry, brother. Money hungry. We want that money. What I tell people all the time is that I'm not doing it for the money. I'm trying to make history. When I met Martin about Wanda and Shenehneh I said, "Lets make history." We're going to make all the money in the world, but you can't take it with you. But the one thing you can leave is the history of it. They don't get that part of it. All they want is money, man. We've got all these great black iconic figures and we never tell the story because we're so worried about a couple of dollars. But now our kids and kid's kids will never even know these people's stories because we never tell them. So maybe you can keep doing your thing with your interviews and keep bringing it up and maybe they'll loosen up a little bit.

I thought you had great chemistry with Taraji P. Henson in that video 'Just Like Me.' Are we ever going to see you work with her on the big screen?

JF: Oh man, yeah. How great is she, dude? She killed it. Taraji has gone on now to be nominated for Oscars and everything. I can't wait to see what she does next, and I cannot wait to work with her again.