Vivica A. Fox on 50 Cent, Quentin Tarantino and her new book, "Every Day I'm Hustling"
Vivica A. Fox has been "knocked down" in life, and she wants her fans to learn from her journey to success in films and TV shows like "Kill Bill" and "Empire." The actress talked to CBS News about her new book, "Every Day I'm Hustling," which combines self-help lessons, anecdotes from her life, recipes and more.
Fox calls it a "motivational memoir." She says, "We're supposed to inspire and enlighten and encourage others. I want to let people know I've been knocked down too, and that I had to figure out how to pick myself up. I had to learn how to get out of my own way and I don't mind sharing that with others."
The actress, who co-wrote the book with Kevin Carr O'Leary, says she wanted the book to reflect her authentic self, which is why she also narrated her own audiobook for "Every Day I'm Hustling" with Audible.
"I really, really wanted to validate that this was my story," she said. "It was 267 pages and took me about a week, but I loved it. I made sure what was in there was really my voice and really my journey."
Fox said reading the book out loud got her emotional, adding, "I laughed, I cried -- it was like going down memory lane. I've done a lot of living."
As a reader, it's hard not to notice Fox's attention to detail. The actress frequently remembers what she wore, ate or said years ago, and she says it's a skill she's always had.
"I told everybody: That's why I'm an actress," she says. "I retain things very well. I have an excellent memory."
She also remembers who was there. In her book, Fox is not afraid to name names, including friends and former colleagues like Queen Latifah, Patti LaBelle and Quentin Tarantino. The actress says she isn't worried about mentioning names in her book because she's confident she's telling only the truth.
That also applies to a chapter on her ex-boyfriend, 50 Cent, who has publicly slammed Fox. In March, a line from the book in which Fox called her sex life with 50 Cent "PG-13" was published online, and the rapper responded angrily, saying, "I'm waking up to this s**t, that was 14 years ago. Smh who does this?"
Fox says, "I knew he wasn't going to be happy ... I didn't freak out or fight him because I did it for me to have clarity and for everyone else to have clarity about what happened in our relationship, and that's why I didn't clap back at him, because I knew that."
But Fox says of her rapper ex and others, "It's my journey and my story." She continues, "They happen to be part of it. They take it the wrong way and there's nothing I can do about it because I tell stories that are true. People get offended when you tell stories about them and they're incorrect."
Fox says she wants to set the record straight about working with Tarantino, as well. In the book, she recalls a moment when she butted heads with the director after he berated her and the other actresses on "Kill Bill."
"People think I'm bashing him -- I love him," she says. "He's awesome and I've supported his films ever since. Most people know he's demanding. He gets what he wants when he wants it. He let us know he wants us to be on time and be professionals. I learned a tremendous amount. I pushed my body to limits that I never knew I could, but I'm human, too, so I was just like, 'Can we get a little positive reinforcement here?' I'm the kind of person to speak up, but Uma [Thurman] was like, 'Learn to be more manipulative and attack with intelligence.'"
Fox also says that she's hoping for a "Kill Bill vol. 3" -- her character, Vernita Green, was killed off by Uma Thurman's Bride in front of her daughter.
"Absolutely," she says. "I'd love to do flashback scenes. I think everybody's waiting for 'Kill Bill 3.'"
