He got her "back in action" from her acting retirement, and now, Cameron Diaz is defending her co-star Jamie Foxx. The two star in the upcoming action-comedy Back in Action, which was in production when Foxx experienced a health scare earlier this year. But aside from speculation about Foxx's medical emergency, there were also rumors that he was difficult to work with. As reported by People, during a Dec. 19 appearance on the podcast Lipstick on the Rim, Diaz addressed the gossip that Foxx acted "crazy" while filming the movie.
RELATED: Jamie Foxx Details Freaky Near-Death Experience He Had Amid Medical Complication.
"I really hate all of the things that were being said about our set at the time. You just want to scream at the top of your lungs, like, 'What are you talking about?'" Diaz told podcast host and actorMolly Sims. The 51-year-old star said she heard rumors that Foxx was being "crazy" on the set of the film and "making everything miserable and that I was never gonna make another movie again because of him."
In reality, Diaz said that she had a great time making Back in Action and added, "Jamie is the best. I love that guy so much. He's such a special person and he's so talented, so much fun."
Diaz said that Foxx encouraged her to ignore the rumors. Jamie is "so classy. He's like, 'Nope. Just let them [talk],'" she recalled. At the same time, she said that the gossip "really made [her] angry."
In March, prior to the news of Foxx's health complication, reports were published that Foxx had a "meltdown" on the Back in Action set. A source told the U.K. publication The Sun, "There have been some issues on set and Jamie has had a major meltdown over it all. He demanded the problems be sorted immediately and sacked four of the production staff—as if that would magically improve the situation."
They added, "Some people working on it are totally fed up with how this has played out and Jamie has become pretty unpopular."
A month later, Foxx's daughter, Corinne Foxx, shared that her father had "experienced a medical complication" and was receiving treatment. From there, various, often conflicting, reports came out about Foxx's condition. Eventually, the actor began to speak out more himself, though he hasn't gone into details about what exactly he experienced or what his diagnosis was.
In a July Instagram video, he said, "I went through something that I thought I would never ever go through. I know a lot of people were waiting or wanting to hear updates, but to be honest with you, I just didn't want you to see me like that, man."
Diaz referenced Foxx's health situation during her podcast appearance.
"The hiccups that happened throughout production are the natural kinds of things that happen, but nothing got delayed other than, obviously, toward the end. And that's something that is not my place to speak about," she explained, adding that the 56-year-old actor is "thriving" now.
Back in Action is Diaz's first movie since 2014's Annie, which she also starred in with Foxx. The two previously worked together on the 1999 movie Any Given Sunday. As reported by People, when Diaz's casting in the new movie was announced in 2022, she wrote on her Instagram story, "@iamjamiefoxx only you could get me back in action! I can't frickin wait it's gonna be a blast!"
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