Academy Award winner Jamie Foxx stars alongside Robert Downey Jr. in the "The Soloist," which opens this week. For the part of Nathaniel Ayers, a real-life musical prodigy who struggled with schizophrenia, Foxx learned to play the cello and violin from L.A. Philharmonic cellist Ben Hong. Learning skills for a role is hardly rare in Hollywood. Here are some other actors who educated themselves while preparing for a part.

Photo by Summit EntertainmentIn the upcoming movie "The Brothers Bloom," Rachel Weisz, who plays an heiress with a knack for odd hobbies, learned how to do complicated card tricks. Prior to production, Weisz couldn't even shuffle a deck of cards. She also learned how to play the four musical instruments including the accordion and the banjo.

Photo by 20th Century Fox, Everett CollectionIn preparation for his role as Hawkeye in "The Last of the Mohicans," Daniel Day-Lewis roughed it in the wilderness for several months, where he lived on what he hunted and fished. He also always carried around his Pennsylvania long rifle on set to remain in character.

Photo by Fox Searchlight Pictures, Everett CollectionMickey Rourke resurrected his career with his brilliant and fearless performance in "The Wrestler." For his part as Randy "The Ram" Johnson, he spent months training in the ring with the uncle of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson.

Photo by Warner Bros. Pictures, Everett CollectionTom Cruise spent two years learning to speak Japanese and wield a samurai sword for his part in "The Last Samurai."

Everett CollectionMichelle Yeoh learned to drive a motorcycle only a day before her hair-raising high-speed bike jump onto a moving train in the movie "Supercop."

Photo by Paramount PicturesFor his movie "Shooter," Mark Wahlberg was trained by former Marine sniper Patrick Garrity in the finer points of sharp shooting -- like extreme distance marksmanship and breath control. Wahlberg trained to the point where he could hit a target 1,100 yards away and could shoot both right and left-handed.

Photo by Universal Pictures, Everett CollectionMichelle Rodriguez and Jordana Brewster had to learn to drive for their parts in "The Fast and the Furious." Prior to production, they didn't have licenses or even learner's permits.

Photo by The Kobal Collection, WireImageMatt Damon didn't know how to play golf before taking the part of Rannulph Junuh in "The Legend of Bagger Vance." He spent a month training with golf pro Tim Moss in Hilton Head, South Carolina for the role.

Photo by David Lee/Castle RockCatherine Zeta-Jones worked as a waitress at New York restaurant Fiamma for her role in the 2007 movie "No Reservations." The whole time she was waiting tables, no one ever guessed her real identity.

Photo by The Kobal Collection, WireImageFor his role as disturbed cabbie Travis Bickle in "Taxi Driver," Robert De Niro worked twelve hours a day for a month driving a cab in the Big Apple.

Photo by DreamWorks, Everett CollectionThe primary actors in "Saving Private Ryan" -- Tom Hanks, Tom Sizemore, Edward Burns, Jeremy Davies, Vin Diesel, Barry Pepper, Giovanni Ribisi and Adam Goldberg -- endured a brutal basic training boot camp, which included training with M-1 rifles, hiking five mile a day with 40 pounds of gear, and getting only three hours of sleep a day. The only star to not do the training was Matt Damon. Director Steven Spielberg wanted him to sit out to build a sense of resentment with the rest of the cast.