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Mekhi Phifers name is forever etched into both music and cinema history.
Directed by Curtis Hanson (L.A. Because I was due to startER, and I was really excited about playing a doctor.
So I thought it was just a joke.
But then they told me that Curtis Hanson was directing.
I was a huge fan, I thought he was a great storyteller, and he had just doneL.A.
That wouldve been a fools move.
Shoutout to John Wells then!Much love to John Wells for giving me an extension.
We started8 Milearound September, and it wasnt going to be done until February, and soERwaited for me.
When I finished8 Mile, like a week later, I startedER.
You mentioned seeing Eminem inThe Wash, in which I think he only had one scene.
See, the thing is that I didnt know how serious he was as far as being an actor.
Back then, they were doing a lot of those rappers-in-movies movies and they werent good.
But I loved the music.
I always thought Eminem was a genius with his artistry and his wordplay.
And I was very wrong.
And he was nervous.
And what I loved about Curtis was that Curtis was easy.
What were your conversations with him like?Organic and easy.
What was it like having to wear that wig?
You had to be sweating during those scenes at the Shelter.It was a pain in the ass.
But they would open up the doors and let air in.
What was it like living and filming there for an extended period of time?I loved it.
Detroit has an energy, a realness, a history.
Like you said, it has character.
When we were there shooting, there were like 46,000 vacancies.
But the people were just real.
They wanted me to fly in to meet with Em literally right after 9/11.
There was just too much uncertainty at the time.
But hes very, very focused about his music and he had a lot to do with the soundtrack.
I wrote this song and I put your name in it.
And I said, Oh, word?
Okay, lets go.
So we all piled into the studio and he played it.
It was raw, wasnt mixed or anything, he had just written it and recorded it.
And when he said my name, everybody busted up, like, Yo, this is crazy!
For him to put me in that song, its a testament to how close we were.
We hung out a lot; we played basketball at his house, we swam at his house.
So it really made me feel good for him to think of me in that way.
No matter your musical taste, everyone knows the Lose Yourself lyrics.
Id argue that your name might be among the most sung names in the history of music.Im quite sure.
You also briefly rap during the film.
Any extra pressure standing next to a rap GOAT?No, because I wrote it.
He said that Proof was an introspective rapper.
He rapped with those kinds of bigger words, if you will.
So, the night before, I just sat down and started writing a rhyme.
He was wild, and, if I remember correctly, he would do things like be a vagrant.
But Em wrote the rhyme, and then we just got to have fun with it.
The final battlesare so epic that I often pull up the clip to watch on YouTube.
To me,8 Milewas designed likeRocky.
You get to see glimpses of Eminem rhyme throughout the movie, but nothing like that end sequence.
And those other guys were good too, but he crushes them.
Once again, Curtis just let me run with it, and I really embraced that.
Everything that I say when Im hosting the battles is ad-lib none of that is in the script.
How genuine were the reactions to Eminems bars?
Like, did you have any idea what was coming?No, all of our reactions were real.
Curtis was a genius and had maybe four or five cameras rolling at the same time.
Thats okay, you look like a fucking worm with braids, yo, we were crying.
and youre like, No, I missed something!
If you know Em, just like B-Rabbit, he moves by the beat of his own drum.
Em has an air of being introverted, so hes not going to put himself out there like that.
Earlier this year,you declaredthat there will never be an8 Milesequel.
And then 50 Cent announced that he and Eminem are working on an8 MileTV show.
When you saw that, were you like, Wait, what?
Didnt you guys just hear what I said?Right?!
I damn sure wouldnt do a sequel to8 Mile, because its too iconic.
How can you make that better?
And its 20 years later, Im a grown man now, not a young kid trying to rap.
Im 48 years old what the hell do you want from me?
Too much time has passed.
It would be a different punch in of movie, and youd have to call it9 Mileor something.
But, if they want to have a go at make a series, hey, thats fine.
Hopefully they have a great production and get some intriguing actors that can carry the story.
But to do an8 Mile 2movie?
Yeah, thats just not going to happen.
And I almost turned it down.
That wouldve been grim.
