The making of 'The Soloist'

Catherine Keener on meeting the real Ayers...

“[We met] at the end of our rehearsal process. And he came in with his shopping cart and his cello. I went up to introduce myself and said that I was playing Steve Lopez’s ex-wife. And I think he took that to mean that I was Steve Lopez’s ex-wife, and then he started to talk to me. We had a very lucid conversation, and at the end of it, he said I reminded him of [cellist] Jacqueline du Pré. It’s not unlike a conversation I would have with [anyone].”