Kerry Washington Credits 'Ray' Costar Jamie Foxx for 'Setting the Best Possible Example' on Set

Kerry Washington says in her new book 'Thicker Than Water' that Jamie Foxx “is one of the most wonderful lead actors I have ever had the privilege to work with"

Kerry Washington is singing Jamie Foxx's praises.

In an audiobook excerpt from her new memoir Thicker Than Water shared by Entertainment Weekly, Washington, 46, recalled that observing Foxx's professionalism on set when the pair costarred in 2004's Ray impacted how she approaches her own work even years later.

“Jamie is one of the most wonderful lead actors I have ever had the privilege to work with,” Washington wrote in the book, per the outlet. The actress noted that on movie and television sets, the actor whose name is assigned at the top of the call sheet tends to unofficially assume a leadership role in the production.

"Years later, on the set of Scandal, whenever anybody complimented me on my leadership skills as a number one on the call sheet, I was always sure to credit Jamie for setting the best possible example," Washington wrote of how her first working experience with the now 55-year-old star impacted her.

Related: Kerry Washington on 'Toxic Cycle' of Binge-Eating and Starving Due to Trauma and Secrets (Exclusive Excerpt)

“Both on screen and off, Jamie is invested in bringing out the best in everyone around him," she added in the excerpt. "His generosity, it seems, has no limits."

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Elsewhere in the audio excerpt of Washington's book, the actress recalled advice that Foxx gave her while she struggled with a scene that they filmed a significant number of times.

"‘Keep searching,' " she remembered Foxx saying. "[He said] ‘You have to let it be different every time. Don’t try to make it be what it was, just keep finding new things. Play.’ "

Related: Jamie Foxx's Girlfriend Alyce Huckstepp Is a ‘Total Sweetheart,' Source Says (Exclusive)

Ray ultimately proved Foxx's breakout movie role and earned him his first Academy Award. The film itself also won Best Sound Mixing at the 2005 Oscars, on top of six total nominations.

While Washington did not receive an Oscar nomination for her role in the movie, Ray helped pave the way for her continued success in Hollywood over the last two decades. She and Foxx even reunited on the big screen some eight years later to costar again as a married couple in the 2012 spaghetti western Django Unchained.

Washington's new memoir Thicker Than Water releases in bookstores everywhere Tuesday.

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