'Soloist' subject won't watch movie
Published: April 21, 2009 at 6:03 PM
The schizophrenic musician whose life is portrayed in "The Soloist," won't watch the new Hollywood film because it is too disturbing for him, his friend said.
The movie is based on actual events and stars Jamie Foxx as homeless musical prodigy Nathaniel Ayers and Robert Downey Jr. as Steve Lopez, the Los Angeles Times columnist who befriends Ayers and brings attention to his talent.
The real-life Lopez told the New York Post Ayers attended the premiere of the movie about his life, but kept his eyes shut the entire time.
"He's frightened by things on TV screens or movie screens," Lopez said. "Nathaniel hears things and sees things we don't. ... His days are spent trying to figure out what's real and what's not. It doesn't help that, in this case, some of the images are representations of him, and that the movie includes some fairly dramatic scenes of his breakdown."
Director Joe Wright told the Post he hired hundreds of Ayers' friends and acquaintances from the Lamp homeless community center in Los Angeles to work on the movie.
"I felt far safer there than in the offices of Hollywood and Beverly Hills, where you're very likely to be stabbed in the back," Wright joked. "Downtown, I found the community to be very open and trusting. And with proper laughter. In Hollywood, if you say something funny, people kind of say: 'Ha. That's funny.' But they don't actually laugh, which I find slightly disconcerting. Whereas the members of Lamp, we had proper laughter. And tears."
Published: April 21, 2009 at 6:03 PM
The schizophrenic musician whose life is portrayed in "The Soloist," won't watch the new Hollywood film because it is too disturbing for him, his friend said.
The movie is based on actual events and stars Jamie Foxx as homeless musical prodigy Nathaniel Ayers and Robert Downey Jr. as Steve Lopez, the Los Angeles Times columnist who befriends Ayers and brings attention to his talent.
The real-life Lopez told the New York Post Ayers attended the premiere of the movie about his life, but kept his eyes shut the entire time.
"He's frightened by things on TV screens or movie screens," Lopez said. "Nathaniel hears things and sees things we don't. ... His days are spent trying to figure out what's real and what's not. It doesn't help that, in this case, some of the images are representations of him, and that the movie includes some fairly dramatic scenes of his breakdown."
Director Joe Wright told the Post he hired hundreds of Ayers' friends and acquaintances from the Lamp homeless community center in Los Angeles to work on the movie.
"I felt far safer there than in the offices of Hollywood and Beverly Hills, where you're very likely to be stabbed in the back," Wright joked. "Downtown, I found the community to be very open and trusting. And with proper laughter. In Hollywood, if you say something funny, people kind of say: 'Ha. That's funny.' But they don't actually laugh, which I find slightly disconcerting. Whereas the members of Lamp, we had proper laughter. And tears."
I cannot wait to see this on Friday.
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