By Madhuri Dey
Jan 3, (THAINDIAN NEWS) It has been revealed by actor Jamie Foxx that in preparation for his role in the film “The Soloist”, he used to stalk the celebrated cellist Nathaniel Ayers. In the film, Jamie Foxx steps into the shoes of the schizophrenic musician who was left homeless and abandoned in the streets of Los Angeles when he had a nervous breakdown in the third year of his schooling in New York, at the highly reputed institution of Juilliard School. At the end of the day, however, he battled all odds and went on to be recognized as one of the most celebrated musicians in the present days.

“The Soloist” is based on the book of the same name by author and columnist Steve Lopez. Admittedly, it is one of the most challenging roles assayed by Jamie Foxx so far. On the other hand, the actor has been known mostly for his portrayal of characters rather on a dramatic side, like the portrayal of Ray Charles, for which he won an Oscar. He commented that though the role had been a difficult one, the story of the film itself is very beautiful. He said that the movie is a touching tale of friendship, music and the tragedy of a man bogged down by circumstances.

Nathaniel Ayers was very happy at being depicted in a film. He was a scholar of the Ohio State University, from where he went on to the Juilliard School, where he studied bass. However, when he was 20 years old, he was diagnosed with schizophrenia, following which he dropped pout and was left homeless on the streets of Los Angeles. It was at this point of time that he got acquainted with Steve Lopez.