History Trivia / Ray

* HeAlsoDid:
** Creator/HarryLennix as Joe Adams.
** Creator/ReginaKing as Margie Hendricks.
** Creator/RichardSchiff as Jerry Wexler.
** Creator/TerrenceDashonHoward as Gossie McKee.
** Creator/WendellPierce as Wilbur Brassfield.
** Creator/DavidKrumholtz as Milt Shaw.
** Creator/TaylorHackford directed.
** Curtis Armstrong (Ahmet Ertegun) is best known for playing Dudley "Booger" Dawson in ''Film/RevengeOfTheNerds'' and Herbert Viola on ''Series/{{Moonlighting}}''.
** Tequan Richmond (Ray Charles, Jr.) is best known for playing Drew Rock on ''Series/EverybodyHatesChris'' and TJ Ashford on ''Series/GeneralHospital''.
** Sonny Shroyer, who plays Louisiana Governor Jimmie Davis in a deleted scene, is best known for playing Deputy Enos Strate on ''Series/TheDukesOfHazzard''.

** Creator/TerenceDashonHoward as Gossie McKee.

** Creator/ReginaKing (Margie Hendricks) is best known for playing Det. Lydia Adams on ''Series/{{Southland}}'' and Brenda Jenkins on ''Series/TwoTwoSeven'' and for voicing Riley and Huey Freeman on ''WesternAnimation/TheBoondocks''.

** Creator/RichardSchiff (Jerry Wexler) is best known for playing Toby Ziegler on ''Series/TheWestWing''.
** Creator/TerrenceDashon Howard (Gossie [=McKee=]) is best known for playing Lucious Lyon on ''Series/{{Empire}}''.
** Creator/WendellPierce (Wilbur Brassfield) is best known for playing Det. Bunk Moreland on ''Series/TheWire'' and Antoine Batiste in ''Series/{{Treme}}''.

** Director Creator/TaylorHackford is also best known for directing ''Film/AnOfficerAndAGentleman''.
** Creator/DavidKrumholtz (Milt Shaw) is best known for ''Series/Numb3rs'' and ''Film/TheSantaClause'' movies.

** Wendell Pierce (Wilbur Brassfield) is best known for playing Det. Bunk Moreland on ''Series/TheWire'' and Antoine Batiste in ''Series/{{Treme}}''.

** Regina King (Margie Hendricks) is best known for playing Det. Lydia Adams on ''Series/{{Southland}}'' and Brenda Jenkins on ''Series/TwoTwoSeven'' and for voicing Riley and Huey Freeman on ''WesternAnimation/TheBoondocks''.

** Richard Schiff (Jerry Wexler) is best known for playing Toby Ziegler on ''Series/TheWestWing''.
** Terrence Dashon Howard (Gossie [=McKee=]) is best known for playing Lucious Lyon on ''Series/{{Empire}}''.

** Director Taylor Hackford is also best known for directing ''Film/AnOfficerAndAGentleman''.

* WartsAndAll: Ray Charles was given a braille copy of the script to read before production began, and he only objected to two scenes: the original draft had him being forced to learn piano (he expressed an interest on his own) and had him sharing drugs with Margie Hendricks (he refused to let her try heroin because he knew what it was doing to him). Other than that, the script was unchanged and included his ruthless business dealings, adultery, and struggles with addiction.

** Creator/HarryLennix (Joe Adams) is best known for playing Harold Cooper on ''Series/TheBlacklist''.

* ActorSharedBackground: Like Charles, Jamie Foxx is a Southern black musician who uses a stage name and dealt with racial segregation growing up. Amusingly, they didn't actually know he could play the piano when they cast him.

* TheCastShowoff: When it was being explained to Jamie Foxx how they would make it look like he was playing the piano, he stopped the explanation by stating that he ''knew'' how to play so such tricks wouldn't be necessary. In every scene with him at the keys, it's genuine.

** Jamie Foxx wore prosthetics over his eyes which made him blind for as many as 14 hours a day, and also learned Braille, in order to convincingly play Music/RayCharles.

** Regina King (Margie Hendricks) is best known for playing Det. Lydia Adams on ''Series/{{Southland}}'' and for voicing Riley and Huey Freeman on ''WesternAnimation/TheBoondocks''.

** David Krumholtz (Milt Shaw) is best known for playing Charlie Eppes on ''Series/{{Numbers}}''.

** Harry Lennix (Joe Adams) is best known for playing Harold Cooper on ''Series/TheBlacklist''.

** Likewise, Curtis Armstrong, who played Ahmet Ertegun, had to shave off his curly locks in order to play Ertegun, who was already undergoing male pattern baldness when he signed Ray to Atlantic. Amusingly, most of the hair from Armstrong's head was eventually used to make a wig for the already bald Richard Schiff, who had been cast to play Jerry Wexler.

* DyeingForYourArt: Jamie Foxx wore prosthetics over his eyes which made him blind for as many as 14 hours a day, and also learned Braille, in order to convincingly play Music/RayCharles.

* DyeingForYourArt: Jamie Foxx wore prosthetics over his eyes which made him blind for as many as 14 hours a day, and also learned Braille, in order to convincingly play RayCharles.

* HeyItsThatGuy: [[Film/RevengeOfTheNerds Dudley "Booger" Dawson]] is Ahmet Ertegun, while [[Series/TheWestWing Toby Ziegler]] is Jerry Wexler.
** In addition, in a deleted scene, [[Series/TheDukesOfHazzard Enos Strate]] is Louisiana Governor Jimmie Davis.
** Creator/KerryWashington is Della Bea Robinson.

** In addition, in a deleted scene, [[TheDukesOfHazzard Enos Strate]] is Louisiana Governor Jimmie Davis.

* DanBrowned: The scene in which Ray Charles gets banned from Georgia for refusing to play before a segregated audience was purely a fabrication. In real life, Ray did refuse to play, but he only ended up having to pay the promoter compensation.

** In addition, in a deleted scene, [[Series/TheDukesOfHazzard Enos Strate]] is Louisiana Governor Jimmie Davis.

* HeyItsThatGuy: [[RevengeOfTheNerds Booger]] is Ahmet Ertegun.

* DanBrowned: The scene in which Ray Charles gets banned from Georgia for refusing to play before a segregated audience was purely a fabrication. Ray did refuse to play, but he only ended up having to pay the promoter compensation.

* DyeingForYourArt: Jamie Foxx wore prosthetics over his eyes which made him blind for as many as 14 hours a day, and also learned Braille, in order to convincingly play RayCharles in ''Film/{{Ray}}''.