How Vivica A. Fox Ended up Living in Prince’s NYC Penthouse
Vivica A. Fox may be a living legend in the acting world but her rise to fame was a slow one. In her early days, Fox struggled to make ends meet. Things were so tough for the Kill Bill star that she lived in not so great living conditions in New York City. Luckily, one of her close’s friends was connected to Prince and allowed her to live in their penthouse.
Vivica A. Fox’s close friend dated Prince
Fox left her home in Indiana just a month after graduating high school to pursue a career in Hollywood. Her goal was to become a model as she figured her tall 5’8 frame would be her meal ticket. Unfortunately, she had little luck getting modeling jobs due to racism and colorism in the fashion world.
She landed a job as a dancer on Soul Train but was being paid very little. In search of something more, she moved to New York City. But life in the Big Apple proved to be a tough city to survive in and she found herself living in slums.
“I moved to Hell’s Kitchen which going from Huntington Beach [in California] to Hell’s Kitchen was quite a shocker,” she admits in a recent interview with Vlad TV. “I thought New York was like bright lights and big city and this was before Manhattan was cleaned up and I remember I literally called my mom and was like, ‘I’ve moved to hell.’”
Luckily, she had contacts in New York, one of which was the girlfriend of Prince, Jill Jones. Fox called Jones and Jones visited her in her Hell’s Kitchen apartment. Jones was shocked by what she saw. She invited Fox to her and Prince’s penthouse and offered Fox to stay in return to caring for her dogs while toured as a background singer.
Why Vivica A. Fox left New York City
Fox moved back to California after Jones decided to move out of the penthouse. “I was not going back to Hell’s Kitchen,” Fox told Vlad. “I was like, ‘Forget that.’ Manhattan was extremely expensive and I was still, at the time, a starving artist.”
While living in California, Fox’s career began to pick up more speed. She eventually was discovered sitting outside a restaurant by a talent agent who asked if she was interested in acting. From there, she booked her first acting role in Born on the Fourth of July alongside Tom Cruise as a prostitute.
Related: Vivica A.Fox Shared How Jada Pinkett Smith Felt About Her Kissing Will Smith in ‘Independence Day’
Fox then began booking guest starring roles on daytime soap operas, including Days of Our Lives and Generations. Her acting resume grew in the 90s with a string of guest appearances on sitcoms like The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Beverly Hills 90210, Family Matters, Matlock, and Martin. She returned to soap operas with a role on The Young and the Restless.
More than 30 years after taking the big step in leaving home, Fox is an icon in her own right, with hundreds of acting credits, many as a leading lady. She’s also known as a bonafide producer and director.
In addition to acting, Fox is a successful businesswoman with her own line of hair extensions.
