LOS ANGELES, March 15 (UPI) -- The upcoming movie "The Soloist" should offer viewers an insider's glimpse into the Los Angeles Times' news room, the newspaper said Saturday.
The Times said the new film, which covers the life of violinist Nathaniel Ayers, includes multiple shots of the Times news room as a columnist follows Ayers' rise from skid row to accomplished musician.
Sarah Greenwood, production designer for "Soloist," said rather than recreate the news room the filmmakers chose to let the journalists' real desks speak for themselves.
"Looking at the way everyone personalizes their desks, the way everyone lives in his own space, it's a lot like what the homeless do with their shopping carts. It's what Nathaniel does," she said.
"Mental illness is a socially defined reality. It's not conforming. Where is that line of acceptable and unacceptable? Obviously, the LA Times is on the acceptable side of the line," she said.
The newspaper said actor Jamie Foxx is playing Ayers for the film, which should be released in 2009, while Times columnist Steve Lopez is being portrayed by Robert Downey Jr.
