Jamie Foxx Plays and Becomes "The Soloist"

If playing the part means becoming your character, Foxx went above and beyond his call of duty as an actor. Portraying Nathaniel Ayers, Foxx revealed the toll the part took on him when he threw himself completely into the part, according to CNN.

Foxx told about a yearlong battle with mental illness he himself faced."Somebody slipped me something in college and I lost my mind," said Foxx.

The Soloist is about Nathaniel Ayers, a former music prodigy that is now homeless and has schizophrenia. Foxx was afraid of a type of post traumatic stress that might trigger any lingering memories of his own episode with mental illness. "I asked very foolishly, 'Can I catch schizophrenia?' And he says, 'No, you can't catch schizophrenia,'" said Foxx.

Foxx did experience panic attacks and paranoia during the filming, according to the Los Angeles Times. Foxx reported that he had a childhood fear of "going crazy."

"There was a sanitarium in my hometown in Terrell, Texas, called the Terrell State Hospital, and when we would visit I would go, 'I hope that never happens to me,'" said Foxx.

Later, when Foxx was facing his own struggle, he said that another student was his "angel." "He'd say, 'You're good, you're not crazy, everything is fine, I'm here with you,'" reported Foxx.

Foxx again referenced the similarities between himself and his character. When Ayers used a cello for comfort, Foxx would use the piano.

The Soloist is scheduled to come out Friday, April 24.