Jamie Foxx Is A Bum!!!

Jamie Foxx was so determined to nail his portrayal of homeless musical prodigy Nathaniel Ayers in "The Soloist," he hit the mean streets of Los Angeles to follow the classical master.

Ayers studied music at New York's revered Julliard and won acclaim as a musical genius, but schizophrenia robbed him of his talents and turned him into a near recluse.

When Foxx signed on to play Ayers in the biopic, he took it upon himself to track the violinist/cellist down and then wore a disguise so he could follow him for a day.

Foxx tells WENN, "I got a chance to watch him in his element down on the street and I was in disguise. "To see this person is fantastic. At first I was told he was very skinny. He pushes a cart around, which I guess is about 200 pounds, and you have to be strong down where he lives because the people down there are very dangerous.

"I'm sure he's had times where he's had to protect himself. He's a very interesting person and very posh because he does come from this classical background, so, even within this crazy jungle, he still has this air to him. "He's a beautiful person and I think it's gonna be a great opportunity to get under his skin."