As part of an ongoing experimental AIDS treatment movement, Woodroof smuggles unapproved pharmaceutical drugs into Texas to treat his symptoms. Two fictional supporting characters, Dr. The article, which featured interviews with Woodroof and also recreated his dramatic international exploits, attracted widespread attention from filmmakers and journalists.
Screenwriter Borten interviewed Woodroof in and wrote the script, which he polished with writer Wallack in , and then sold to producer Robbie Brenner. Several other actors, directors, and producers were attached at various times to the development of the film, but left the project. Universal Pictures also tried to make the film, but did not. A couple of screenwriters wrote drafts that were rejected. Principal photography began in November in New Orleans , continuing for 25 days of filming, which also included shooting in Baton Rouge.
Brenner and Rachel Winter co-produced the film. The official soundtrack album featured various artists, and was released digitally on October 29, , by the Relativity Music Group. The film received widespread critical acclaim, resulting in numerous accolades. Critics praised the performances of McConaughey and Leto, who respectively received the Academy Award for Best Actor and the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor at the 86th Academy Awards , making this the first film since Mystic River , and only the fifth film ever to win both awards.
At first, he refuses to accept the diagnosis until he remembers having unprotected sex with a sex worker who was an intravenous drug user. Woodroof's family and friends ostracize him, mistakenly assuming he contracted AIDS from gay sex. He is fired from his job and evicted from his home. Saks informs him that half of the trial patients receive the drug and the other half a placebo since this is the only way to determine if the drug works.
Woodroof bribes a hospital worker to get him AZT, which, exacerbated by his cocaine and alcohol abuse, causes his health to deteriorate. Recuperating in the hospital, he meets Rayon, a drug-addicted, HIV-positive trans woman he is initially hostile toward. As his health worsens, he drives to a makeshift Mexican hospital to get more AZT. The facility is run by an American, Dr. Vass warns Woodroof against AZT, telling him it is "poisonous. Three months later, Woodroof finds his health much improved and realizes he could make money by importing the drugs and selling them to other HIV-positive patients.
