The Cast of the movie, Ray includes Jamie Foxx, Ragina King, and Kerry Washington.

Once Ray was underway, the filmmakers were faced with a daunting question: where would they find an actor able to embody such a highly recognizable and unique character from American culture? The answer to find the cast of the movie, Ray, was an unexpected one. Hackford and Benjamin decided to take a chance on Jamie Foxx, best known at the time as a stand-up comic and television star, but also an actor with whom they'd been impressed by his performances in Oliver Stone's Any Given Sunday and Michael Mann's Ali. When he met with Foxx, Hackford told the actor his main concern was that whoever played Ray Charles would have to reveal an innate relationship to the very soul of music. This would be a crucial factor in deciding the cast of the movie Ray. As it turns out, Foxx, similar to Ray Charles, had started playing piano at age three. The actor later led the band at his Texas gospel church in his youth and received a university piano scholarship. "When Jamie told me this, I just kind of sat back and thought, 'My God,'" remembers Hackford. "I'd like to say it was planned, but it wasn't. We got lucky." And so, Jamie Foxx was decided as the main character for the cast of the movie, Ray. Margie Hendricks, the fiery vocal legend from the Raelettes.

The cast of the movie, Ray also includes Kerry Washington, who plays Ray's devoted wife. Taylor Hackford on choosing Washington for the cast of the movie, Ray: Washington was the perfect choice for the role of the woman who was Ray's foundation and inner strength for many years. "Kerry captured Della's sweetness and vulnerability but also showed how she became a real rock of a woman," he states about adding her to the cast of the movie Ray. "Kerry has such an innocent, bright-eyed look, but when you see her go through so much pain and trouble, you see how she becomes the only person who could really talk to Ray."

In addition, Ragina White was also part of the cast for the movie, Ray. King plays Margie Hendricks, the fiery vocal legend from the Raelettes. In speaking about being cast for the movie, Ray, she states "When I read the script and remembered her voice, I knew I wanted to play her because there is something very powerful and real about her."

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