A Vivica Fox

As a result of her training, Fox was able to eventually shined on her first sitcom, Out All Night, in 1992. The show followed a former superstar singer turned nightclub owner and her sometimes rambunctious young staff. Fox starred alongside Duane Martin, Morris Chestnut, and Patti LaBelle. With a promising young cast and popular musical guests like Jodeci, Boyz II Men, and Johnny Gill, it seemed destined for success. After 20 episodes, NBC canceled the show, and Vivica was once again out of full-time work.

The ups and downs of Hollywood would have easily broken others, but Fox stood firm. Her ability to pivot and push forward can be attributed to some advice she received years ago. In her book, "Everyday I'm Hustling", she recalls getting knocked down while playing with her siblings. Having run to her father in tears, he gave her this advice,

“If you want to hang with the big boys, you’re gonna get knocked down. It’s on you to get up.” Those words of wisdom have served her well. She eventually landed a role on the Young and the Restless and was romantically paired with Shemar Moore. Little did she know, this gig was not a destination, but a gateway.

Fox got noticed by an executive’s pregnant wife who was watching Y&R while at home on the couch. She thought the young actress would be a great candidate for Independence Day, starring emerging superstar Will Smith. Fox auditioned (the sixth time was the charm) and won the role. With more than $817.4 million worldwide, it was the highest-grossing movie of 1996 and the second-highest-grossing movie in history at the time. From there, she landed starring roles in hit films like Set It Off, Soul Food, Batman and Robin, Two Can Play That Game, and Why Do Fools Fall in Love. Her most notable mainstream role was as assassin Vernita Green in the infamous Quentin Tarantino the Kill Bill film franchise.

Well into the 2000s, Fox continued to maintain her footing in Hollywood. Not limiting her talent only to the silver screen, she starred on the popular

HBO series Curb Your Enthusiasm 2007 — 2009 and Lifetime’s crime drama series Missing. It did not escape her attention, however, that the landscape of pop culture was changing. Reality TV was becoming king and she effortlessly stepped into it like the seasoned pro she is. The NAACP Award winner appeared on ABC’s Dancing with the Stars, The Apprentice, and The Starlet.

Her faith, she says, has kept her humble. Fox started out in a working-class neighborhood in the mid-West, spending much of her time involved in local church activities.

“I grew up in church, Breeding Tabernacle AME in Indianapolis, Indiana” Fox fondly recalls. “The neighborhood I grew-up in would be considered at-risk, but the church provided a lot of programs after school for us and I am glad my mother raised me in that church and made me go to church. That upbringing and my faith have stayed with me and have gotten me through.”

“There have been times when I have been able to draw on aspects of my spirituality and faith in the roles I’ve played. People tell me that in my work I am very real and that’s because my faith keeps me humble. I realize now that I am who I am today because I have a relationship with God…just knowing that there is a higher power that is watching over me at all times and is control of my destiny and that I don’t have to walk alone.”

Through diversification, she remained employed, but the Empire alum took it one step further to ensure she would never be unemployed again. Fox created her own production company and has racked up 30 production credits. In 2016, she began producing films for Lifetime TV which led to a mega deal in 2019. The first movie, “The Wrong Roommate” was the first of 25 installments for the MTV Movie Award winner and the network.

“I get to cast myself in characters that normally Hollywood wouldn’t even give me an opportunity to play,” Fox says. “I’ve played a detective, a principal, a mom. The only thing David DeCoteau, the director, won’t let me play is the villain, because I’ve always got to deliver that catchy phrase. ‘Well it looks like you’ve got the wrong cheerleader’ or ‘You’ve got the wrong Valentine’ or ‘You’ve got the wrong Mr. Right.’ And people are like, ‘I can’t wait for her to deliver the line.”

Currently, Fox is doling out sage advice as only an auntie could on Fox Soul’s Cocktails with Queens. She is also directing the upcoming BET+ biopic, The First Lady of BMF: The Tonesa Welch Story.

“There’s days when I gotta get down on my knees and do positive prayers. I feel like I’ve achieved another level in a business that’s not kind to African American actresses.”