Ray
The extraordinary life story of Ray Charles.
Country
Budget
$40 000 000
Box office
$123 971 376
Director
Actors
Jamie Foxx, Kerry Washington, Regina King, Harry Lennix, Clifton Powell, Bokeem Woodbine, Sharon Warren, C.J. Sanders, Curtis Armstrong, Richard Schiff
All actors and roles (10)
All actors and roles (10)
Scenario
Producer
Taylor Hackford, Howard Baldwin, Karen Elise Baldwin, Stuart Benjamin, William J. Immerman, Jaime Rucker King
Camera operator
Composer
Craig Armstrong
Artist
Stephen Altman
Audition
Nancy Klopper
Editing
Short description
Born on a sharecropping plantation in Northern Florida, Ray Charles went blind at seven. Inspired by a fiercely independent mom who insisted he make his own way, He found his calling and his gift behind a piano keyboard. Touring across the Southern musical circuit, the soulful singer gained a reputation and then exploded with worldwide fame when he pioneered coupling gospel and country together.
What's left behind the scenes
- Jamie Foxx played the piano himself in all the musical episodes.
- Ray Charles died of liver failure shortly after filming concluded.
- At Ray Charles' request, the script was printed in Braille specifically for him.
- Ray Charles' wife, Della Bea (Kerry Washington), was actually his second wife. His first wife was Eileen Williams, whom he married in 1951 and divorced in 1952.
- According to Jamie Foxx, he had practically no time for sleep during filming. He would wake up early, spend the whole day on set, and then return home and rehearse playing the piano for several hours.
- To better portray a blind person, actor Jamie Foxx attended classes for the blind at the Braille Institute in Los Angeles.
- Cinematographer Pavel Edelmann, a big fan of Ray Charles, was the first member of the crew to join the project, a year before filming began.
- Jamie Foxx wore special eye prosthetics, partially made of silicone, which meant he genuinely couldn’t see during filming, and shoots lasted up to 14 hours a day. He later recounted in interviews that during the first two weeks of filming, as he adjusted to blindness, he was sometimes overcome with fear. On multiple occasions, the rest of the film crew completely forgot that he was blind and, for example, left him alone at the dining table, automatically assuming he would find his way back to the set after lunch.
- Taylor Hackford acquired the rights to make a film about Ray Charles back in 1987.
- Universal Studios joined the project as a distributor only after the film was completely finished. This was partly due to the fact that one of the studio executives was a fan of Ray Charles and had once frequently hitchhiked to Hollywood to attend his concerts.
- At the request of Ray Charles, the script was specially printed in Braille for him.
- To better play a blind man, actor Jamie Foxx attended classes for the blind at the Braille Institute in Los Angeles.
- Ray Charles' wife, Della Bee (Kerry Washington), was actually his second wife. His first wife was Eileen Williams, whom he married in 1951 and divorced in 1952.
- While Ray is undergoing rehabilitation, he meets a doctor in the hospital whose badge reads 'T. Hacker,' which is an allusion to the name of the film's director, Taylor Hackford.
- Universal Studios joined the project as a distributor only after the film was fully completed. This was partly due to the fact that one of the studio's executives was a fan of Ray Charles and once frequently hitchhiked to his concerts in Hollywood.
- The film was originally titled 'Free My Heart: The Ray Charles Story.' However, after Ray Charles' death, it was decided to name the film simply 'Ray'.
- While undergoing rehabilitation, Ray meets a doctor in the hospital whose badge reads: T. Hacker, which is an allusion to the film's director, Taylor Hackford.
- Jamie Foxx wore special inserts over his eyes, made partly of silicone, which meant he was actually blind during filming, and shoots lasted up to 14 hours a day. He later mentioned in an interview that during the first two weeks of filming, as he was getting used to the blindness, he was sometimes overcome by a sense of fear. On several occasions, other members of the production crew completely forgot that he couldn't see and, for example, left him alone at the dining table, automatically assuming that he would find his way back to the set after lunch on his own.
- The director's cut of the film has a runtime of 178 minutes.
- The film is based on Ray Charles' autobiography, published in 1978 and titled "Brother Ray" (one of Ray Charles' nicknames).
- For many years, Taylor Hackford was unable to find a studio willing to finance the production. Eventually, after several successful films, the director was able to realize this project as an independent movie.
- According to Jamie Foxx, he had almost no time for sleep during filming. He woke up early in the morning, spent the entire day on set, and then returned home to rehearse the piano for several hours.
- The film was originally titled "Free My Heart: The Story of Ray Charles." However, after Ray Charles' death, it was decided to simply title the film "Ray."
- For many years, Taylor Hackford was unable to find a studio willing to finance the production. Eventually, after several successful films, the director was able to realize this project as an independent film.
- The final shots of the film show the real Ray Charles.
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Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
