Wissenswertes

Ray Charles died of liver failure on June 10, 2004, after filming had ended. He was able to sit through the first edit of this movie before his death.

Jamie Foxx had to wear eye prosthetics, made partly of silicone, that really did make him blind for up to 14 hours a day during shooting. He told the New York Times that he experienced panic attacks during the first two weeks of filming before he became accustomed to the "unsettling, claustrophobic feeling." He even shared that cast and crewmates often forgot that he couldn't see and they'd accidentally "leave him sitting alone at a table after lunch on the assumption that he could get back to the set on his own."

Jamie Foxx attended classes at the Braille Institute in order to help him play the role of Ray Charles.

At his request, the screenplay was translated into Braille for Ray Charles to read.

Jamie Foxx played the piano in all scenes himself.