Jamie Foxx played a homeless musician battling schizophrenia in the 2009 film, The Soloist. As per the requirements for the character, Foxx had done intense mental and physical preparation for bringing life to the character. However, while prepping for his mental state, he was reminded of a dark phase of his life when he was drugged as a prank.
Talking to Collider, the actor shared via Fandom Wire:
“Someone played a practical joke on me and slipped something to me and I went off. I ended up going to [the] hospital, and I’m in college.”
The actor revealed that the drug triggered a terrifying experience for him. He added,
“It makes you feel like your worst nightmares, like you’re afraid of the dark, all the things you’ve seen on television.”
Foxx said that even after years, the traumatic incident still impacted him and his role in The Soloist.
“So basically the movie is parallel to what I went through 20 years ago. So when I take on a part [like that] I start to have anxiety,” Foxx said. “[Soloist director] Joe Wright actually had to come to my house and say, ‘If you don’t want to do the movie I understand.’ And I said, ‘But I’m just feeling that I really am this character!’”
The Soloist was directed by Joe Wright and is based on the true story of Nathaniel Ayers, a musician who became a homeless schizophrenia patient. The film featured Jamie Foxx and Robert Downey Jr. in the lead roles.
