"Taylor, I'm no angel and I don't want to be painted as such. Just tell the truth."
Those were the words of Ray Charles some 15 years ago when director Taylor Hackford began the project of "Ray." While Charles was not looking to rewrite his history, Hackford was presented with a hurdle: How do you tell the story about the vulnerabilities of a man who acts like he has no vulnerabilities?
Charles never lived in self-pity. He didn't whine and didn't complain.
"It makes you admire the man, but it doesn't make for an interesting story," said Hackford, who, when he began "Ray," had to do massive amounts of first-hand field research. He spoke to everyone he could about the man and his past, which proved to be a difficult way to form the pieces of the story, but formative in the film's method of storytelling.
It didn't help that Charles presented himself as indestructible. He was completely in control of himself and his surroundings. Hackford remembers the late Charles as someone of utmost confidence and control.
"The day I met him, I'm sitting in his office with his son Ray Charles Jr. and the guy walks in the room," Hackford said. "He doesn't have a cane; he doesn't have a Seeing Eye dog. He walks around the table and four chairs. 'Hey Taylor I've heard a lot about you. Put some skin in the pocket' - his definition of shaking hands."
But Hackford said that even without that assistance, Charles gave the impression of seeing.
"He walks away from me, walks around ... sits behind his desk and says, 'Did you believe that shot? Did you see that game? The shot that Magic sunk in the last 30 seconds! Three-pointer!' Every frame of reference of his is see, see, I saw. It's like wait a minute! This has been a hoax, the guy can see! Because he absolutely communicated that kind of control."
The story of Ray Charles is vast and epic. That's why the film took so long to make. When Hackford produced "La Bamba," the process was simple in comparison. Richie Valens was an 18-year-old kid with a career of 18 months. But the story of Charles is a life-long journey.
Charles was born in the Jim Crow depression and didn't own a pair of shoes until he was 7. At the end of his life, he owned jets and performed for kings, queens and presidents. The story was vast and would require a big budget.
"Hollywood is not anxious to tell biopics," Hackford said. "They got less interest in black biopics, and ultimately I couldn't find the money. And it took a long time. Had I made it 15 years ago, I wouldn't have Jamie Foxx, so maybe things happen for a reason."
Hackford was taking a risk with Foxx. He hadn't proved himself, but he did share a lot in common with Charles.
"They're both from the South," said Hackford. "They're both raised in a kind of situation which is racist in nature. ... They're both incredibly ambitious and talented."
But Foxx rose to the pressure of portraying Charles.
"You can't spend the rest of your life walking into a community of people saying, 'Hey Jamie, I guess you just didn't have it. You couldn't measure up, huh?'" Hackford said.
Admittedly, Hackford said, the weight of Ray Charles was with him and Foxx the entire time. And thanks to the cultural pressure Foxx felt, he delivered the role of a lifetime.
"You never know what an artist can do until they've done it. Until you give them a role," Hackford said. "You give them the opportunity to reach down inside themselves and come up with brilliance"
