LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- Jamie Foxx suffered through his own psychological turmoil while plunging into the role of a mentally ill musician in "The Soloist," the actor said. Jamie Foxx plays mentally ill musician Nathaniel Ayers in "The Soloist." Foxx, 41, revealed that his bond with Nathaniel Ayers was close because of his own yearlong battle two decades ago -- triggered when "somebody slipped me something in college and I lost my mind." "The Soloist," based on a true story, tells how Los Angeles Times columnist Steve Lopez, played by Robert Downey Jr., discovered the homeless Ayers and helped the former music prodigy, who has schizophrenia. The movie comes out Friday.
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Jamie Foxx plays mentally ill homeless man in "The Soloist"
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Foxx was frightened by experience: He had "childhood fear of going crazy"
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When he was 18, someone slipped him "something" and Foxx ended up in hospital
Another student served as his "angel," just as @placeholder helped Ayers, Foxx said.