The Making of the Solist.

Who produced 'The Soloist'?

Gary Foster, who has produced many other films such as a new film called 'When In Rome' and Russ Krasnoff, who has not been that popular in the producing department except for this film , 'the soloist'

What did Steve Lopez question about the film from the start?

How could you make movie, when you do not have an ending, was what was said by Steve Lopez about the film at the beginning.
When did the producers meet Nathanial?

The producers were took by surprise when they first met him because they were having lunch with Steve Lopez and discussing the film in 2005, when suddenly Steve asked if they wanted to see him after lunch, which they agreed too.
Where were the real life locations of the film?

Various places in America were used for the filming, for example the Disney Concert Hall, LAMP Centre, Skid Row and Anderson Street.
 What was Susannah Grant's aim when screen writing?

She has an aim to show people that everyone was a person that that each person had a life story. She explained how every person has a family; sister, brother, mother, father and so on which would make the viewer think about what if it was someone in their family that was homeless or mental ill, etc.
Why was Joe Wright apprehensive about making the film?

Because Joe had only directed films in the UK he was nervous about going to a new country that he knew nothing about, so he thought it would be a very big challenge to do this. He felt because the actors were good American actors they would help him with his time in the US, although he did say that the more he found out about America the more he got confused about it!
What does Robert Downey Jr say about the role of Nathanial?

He said that there was a high-degree of difficulty, for example playing some one crazy could have gone so bad, which could result in the ending of an actors career. Also the fact that the actor would have to learn to play the cello which would also add onto the amount of difficulty to the character. People would also get the impression that because the actor. Jamie Foxx might have been known more for his different genres of form, it could turn the public away because they couldnt' 'see' him acting a 'mad' person.
 Why did Joe Wright want authentic locations and authentic people in his film?

Joe wanted to involve the homeless people in the film and help them to learn skills, work and money. He wanted them to feel proud at what they had done and give them a chance.
How long did the set designers have on location to build the set?

They had 4weeks to build the set, yet before this there was a lot of prep in workshops to help get it done quicker. The set was made because they did not want to intrude on the homeless parts of the city as to them the streets were they 'home', therefore it would be rude to just start filming where they are happy.
 What process did the actors go through to ensure that the acting was authentic?

The actors all went to a 3week trust exercise and also involved theatre games. Jamie Foxx also had to learn to play the cello which took a lot of effort and hard work, so make the film more realistic.
What comments are made about the ending by Susannah Grant and Russ Krasnoff?

She wanted to keep the ending real and authentic as this was the truth in the honest real life story. She didn't want there to be a fairytale ending and predictable.

Joe Wright didn't want people to assume, he wanted them to make up their own mind, although this is a risk towards the audience as they could be unsatisfied with this.