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1 minute read
SavingGrace
At the peak of their careers, celebrities can exist in a red-hot space for varying periods of time. Cameras flashing. Immense fanfare. A-list parties. Red carpet premieres. Awards and accolades. Access to everything! There is, however, a limit and like all good things, it can all come to a screeching halt. However, there are some entertainers who seem to defy the odds, staying booked and busy for decades. Vivica Fox is one of those standouts.
Actress, director, producer, author, TV host, philanthropist, and entrepreneur, Fox is a Renaissance woman. By creating her own path and evolving, the 58-year-old has been able to sustain a well-established brand and in-demand career for more than 30 years that cannot be “cancelled”. How did she build such a long-lasting career and survive the challenges that comes with the entertainment industry? In a previous interview with Shadow and Act, she revealed her secret.
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“Versatility has definitely been the key to my longevity. Especially with me having this amazing resurgence that I’m having in my career — that I’m now into producing and directing…I do my hosting thing, I do my acting thing, and now I’m doing my producing and directing thing…then I have my hair line.”
Her professional journey has been one for the books and it all began on Soul Train.
One month after graduating high school in the 80s, Vivica Anjanetta Fox migrated from her hometown of South Bend, Indiana to L.A. for college. It was kismet that one of her favorite dance television programs filmed nearby. An invitation from a friend would lead her to the set where the late Don Cornelius reigned. From there, Fox graced the iconic Soul Train risers, dance line, and scramble board with her bouncy hair, jazzy dance moves, and timely fashion. Week after week, she slayed on the program before moving onward and upward in her career a year later.
The Fox Soul host went on to model and become a daytime diva. It was on Days of our Lives that she cut her teeth as nurse Carmen. She also landed other small roles on hit shows like China Beach. Then an opportu nity for a full-time role on NBC’s Generations came along. As the first black majority soap opera on the network, this show was historic. Fox became one of the few black women with a lead role in that television genre at the time because of that experience.
One year later, the show was axed by NBC after one season, leaving Fox without a regular income as an actress for the first time. She did not regret the experience, however. Instead, she considered it as excellent training.