by Tosha Thomas/ Urban Network
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.
Courtesy of
www.urbannetwork.com
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 wri
of
How much of the movie is 50 Cent and how much is