Game may be having a change of heart about his feeling
toward 50 Cent.
When recently asked what he thought of 50's new movie,
the rapper said he actually thought it was good.
"I've seen ['Get Rich Or Die Tryin']," Game
told BallerStatus, backstage at the Saturday night's Vibe Awards. "It
was better than I expected. I wish [50 Cent] the best of luck."
Although the words seemed genuine, the Compton rapper
quickly shifted the discussion about 50 by saying that if people wanted
to know his thoughts about the G-Unit general, they should take a closer
look at his new haircut, as he displayed the words "G-Unot"
shaved into the side of his head.
Read full story online:
http://www.ballerstatus.net/news/read/id/07104778/
Rapper Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson makes his
acting debut in the Paramount Pictures major motion picture, Get Rich
or Die Tryin’. This Interscope/Shady/Aftermath and MTV Films production
was lensed by six-time Oscar® nominated director Jim Sheridan (My
Left Foot, In America) and also stars Terrence Howard (Hustle and Flow),
Joy Bryant(Honey), Bill Duke (Predator and Adewale Akinnuoye-Adbaje
OZ.) Get Rich or Die Tryin’ is the semi-autobiographical story
that chronicles 50 Cent’s struggles, hardship and ultimate rise
to the top of the music charts.
Even though scenes from the movie seem like they are
from an extremely creative and ambitious writer’s point-of-view,
50 Cent admits that 75% of this movie is from actual accounts from the
“collage of his life” including being orphaned by his mother’s
murder, his life as a drug dealer, the infamous night he was shot 9
times, to his rebirth as one of hip-hop’s most successful rappers.
Many may feel that this movie is too controversial,
sends the wrong message or condones violence, but whatever your opinion
it’s a reality that exists. The controversial ad campaign that
features 50 Cent holding a mic in one hand and gun in the other has
garnered national attention; but one has to realize that for him that
was “his” reality and how he made it out and not a social
norm. I along with a number of journalists recently attended an NYC
press junket for the much-anticipated film (which by the way received
two thumbs up from Ebert & Roper). I had the pleasure to talk to
the rapper turned actor for his first foray into major motion pictures.
Contrary to the hardcore image that the general audience normally sees,
50 was actually very charming and quite gracious. Here is what the eloquent
and charismatic Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson had to say about
his journey to get rich or die tryin’.
What’s the biggest misconception about you?
That I have bad intensions. Just telling the truth
makes me the worst person they’ve seen so far. If I could pick
one week; any week and pick the two hospitals in my neighborhood,
Jamaica Hospital and Mary Magdalene Hospital and keep track of everybody
that comes through there with a gunshot or a stab wound…you’ll
understand why my music is so aggressive.
What was it like working with seasoned actors like Adewale
Akinnuoye-Adbaje, Joy Bryant, Bill Duke and Terrence Howard?
Adewale is a great actor. It wasn’t pleasant
working with him in the beginning. He came into rehearsals the very
first time I met him in character. His character was somebody who
actually had hatred for me…so he was kind of in that mode until
the end of the film. After filming was over and we were just shooting
exteriors…I finally got a chance to meet Adewale.
I got comfortable with Joy in the other scenes, but
when we got to the love scenes it was a lil’ different. It’s
like being in this room naked…(laughter). On the set there was
like 34 people. The [nude] prison shower scene was harder though.
Being naked with a woman is better than being naked with five men…(laughing…you
know what I mean). We were suppose to shoot the shower scene above
the waist with flesh tone biker shorts, but when they got wet they
got darker and Jim was like, ‘it’s not going to work’.
Then Jim was like ’50, can you take it off’ and I was
like, ‘are you kidding me’…but we all did it.
Bill Duke is incredible. I did a prison scene with
Bill Duke and he delivered dialog that must have been about two and
a half minutes and he didn’t blink once. I don’t know
what he did, but my eyes started itching (laughing).
Terrence is incredible. Don’t tell him, because
his head is getting big (laughing).
What was it like to have a love scene, a nude scene and
a crying scene all in your first movie?
(Laughing) I don’t like to wait. I have a problem
with waiting on lines…I wanna skip the line. I have to go further
than they expect me to go. I have to be able to do a job that they
didn’t expect me to do.
Was this role therapeutic for you to expel some of your
demons?
It was therapeutic. There were things in my life
that I haven’t put a whole lot of thought into. After I got
past it…I got past it. This film forced me to take myself back
to certain places in references to emotions displayed on screen. Some
people feel like it should be easier to play a role based on your
actual experiences; but in this case I think it was more difficult.
Sure you have to research and figure out how your character would
react to certain things; but having yourself be the reference and
once you get yourself in that mood its difficult to get out of it
and move on to the next thing because it’s a real experience
for you.
Talk about the re-enactment of being shot 9 times.
It’s something to smile about now once I got
past it. I lost something before I got shot and found it after. My
grandparents raised me Baptist. Bringing up religion in any form was
a good way to run me out of the room because my lifestyle wasn’t
coinciding with the religious beliefs I was raised with. After being
shot 9 times having things happen to you that you don’t have
the answers to leads you to believe in your higher power.
Movie goers may draw similarities to your story and experiences
to Eminem’s life story in 8 Mile. How
do you feel about that?
Our biggest similarity is the growing up without
having a great relationship with our fathers and not having finances
early on. It’s a big thing to adjust to. One of two things is
gonna happen when you come from the bottom. When you come from the
bottom and you become successful either people are going to be inspired
by it or they’ll envy it. It changes in a lot of ways. That’s
why D-12 is so important to him. If they couldn’t rap half as
good as they rap…Em would still support them constantly; because
they are more than a group to him; they are his support system…his
friends.
How much of this movie is real and is there anything that’s
completely fabricated?
It’s about 75% factual. What is fictional in
the movie is the search for my father. I got to the end of the film
early in my life. I feel like ‘I’m supposed to be able
to do that without that assistance at this point.’ The things
that my father would have been able to help me with probably would
have been when I made the decision to hustle. Because he wasn’t
physically present to provide guidance at that point, I don’t
think he’s necessary at this point. I’m a grown man now.
Where you familiar with Jim Sheridan’s work before
you worked with him?
No, not until after…are you kidding me (laughter)?!
After they told me he could possibly be the director I wanted to see
his work. After watching [My Left Foot], I was confident in him leading
me. That should tell you that I didn’t but when they started
casting; I let it be based on his judgment.
Where there any barriers with having an Irish director
direct you? No, there wasn’t. We spent so much time around each
other talking and there is a scene in the film that just came from
us just having a conversation. I had an acting coach for a moment
and in the first week rehearsals turned into table reads because Jim
felt like we would be over acting without actually being on the set.
The coach felt that she wasn’t needed because Jim was working
so close with me and we moved forward. We shot for 5 days and had
two days off. On my two off days I spent time with Jim getting ready
for the next 5 days.
While we talked I would tell him that my tongue was
feeling funny. You know how it feels when you have a lemon in your
mouth and it waters…my taste buds do that because I still have
a fragment from the bullet in my tongue. So I put his finger in my
mouth and he felt it and was like... ‘Oooh’…and
that’s where the start of the love scene with Joy [Bryant] came
from.
How do you feel about your first performance?
I feel great about it and I’m excited about
it. I feel like I’m exceeding everyone’s expectations
on my first film. I don’t think [they] thought I would be able
to show all those emotions on one project.
I know it’s definitely not 50 Cent up there.
As a writer I haven’t shown as many dimensions as I’ve
shown in the actual film. They haven’t seen me in so many vulnerable
points; because hip-hop is aggressive. You don’t really get
a chance to show those characters or that portion of you.
Do you have a favorite song on the soundtrack?
The soundtrack is great. I actually took the concept
for the record from scenes in the movie. I didn’t just go and
write what ever I wanted to write. The overall mood of this film and
the title I originally had for this film was “Hustler’s
Ambition.” We ended up not using it because of Terrence’s
movie Hustle and Flow. There is a scene with my character as a young
boy (Marc John Jeffries) looking at a pair of sneakers in the store
window. “Window Shopper” was based on that. I wrote it
from 50 Cent’s perspective.
How much of the movie is 50 Cent and how much is
Curtis Jackson? I believe 50 Cent is Curtis Jackson. I think the things
that you say are a reflection of your character especially when the
world has its own representation of who you are. Have you caught the
acting bug? I’ll do it again if I find a screenplay as exciting
as my life story.
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