For Fox Sake

Superstar Vivica A. Fox Has Never Forgotten Her Soap Roots

- DEVIN OWENN

Being a film and TV actor, producer, talk show host, author, brand ambassador, entrepreneur, and philanthropist all rolled into one may be overwhelming, even intimidating, but for soap alum Vivica A. Fox, it’s just another day in her life. That drive and the art of multitasking came early, she reports. “I’ve always been a Type A personality,” shrugs Fox. “I mean, growing up I played basketball, volleyball, track and I was a cheerleader. My mom worked two jobs while raising four kids. She and my dad separated when I was young, so I’d say I definitely got that work ethic from my mother.”

That served Fox well when, after earning an Associate Arts degree in Social Sciences, she detoured to show business. “I started off modeling, and acting just kind of fell in my lap,” she admits. “I began on DAYS OF OUR LIVES as a nurse, but I only did a few shows because then I got a part on CHINA BEACH.”

After that foray into prime-time, Fox circled back to GENERATIONS and Y&R (see sidebar). “I believe soap actors are some of the best-trained actors out there,” she declares. “The fact that they can memorize 20-25 pages of dialogue and do shows Monday through Friday and have people watch them for years is a true gift. You work 12 hours, you go home, study, and you’re back the next day doing it again. It was excellent training for a young actress.”