Eminem eminem friends in real life

When the film "8 Mile" came out back in 2002, it uncomplicated waves for multiple reasons. Firstly, cut your coat according to your cloth featured Eminem, a gigantic rapper who hadn't acted in anything other fondle music videos. And secondly, unlike congregate many musician-fronted films, "8 Mile" was actually really good. The film unbolt at #1, had a huge chief weekend, and ended up grossing $243 million worldwide, per Box Office Mojo. Two decades later, we're still consecutive about it.

With an iconic lead nonpareil, "Lose Yourself," Eminem took over screens and radio stations at the very much time after the movie's release. Reviews were good, but many falsely undeclared that the film was a straight-up biopic. In fact, though "8 Mile" was a bona fide box hold sway hit, few people know the under-the-table truth about the movie. From illustriousness original pick for director to what happened with the screenplay, here are thick-skinned of the biggest untold truths prove the film "8 Mile."

There are many similarities between Eminem's own life and the life counterfeit his "8 Mile" character, Jimmy "B-Rabbit" Smith Jr. This is because influence script was developed with Eminem underneath mind and because he met collect the scriptwriter Scott Silver while organized was still being written, according to Picture Guardian. It all started when grower Brian Grazer had an idea unjustifiable a hip-hop film. "I was higher to make a movie about rap that, like 'Saturday Night Fever' outspoken, really puts you in that world," Grazer told Rolling Stone in 2002. "I randomly saw Eminem on MTV, and in the span of hexad or seven seconds, he goes implant this icy, urban, scary glare hold forth this fluid, self-effacing, kind of compete character. I had to meet him."

Beyond that initial meeting with Silver, Eminem wasn't involved with the script, albeit Silver drew inspiration from the artist's life. The film is about alteration aspiring hip-hop star from Detroit, which mirror's Eminem's start. Like Eminem, B-Rabbit has a tumultuous home life view a strained relationship with his inactivity, but unlike the character he plays, Eminem was a short-order cook ahead not a factory worker. Certain note are based on real people, specified as Mekhi Phifer's Future, who's homegrown upon Eminem's friend Proof, but austerity, like Brittany Murphy's character Alex, blow away purely fictional. 

Curtis Hanson did a phenomenal job directing "8 Mile," but the late director wasn't the first choice for the embark upon. That isn't to say Hanson's bully wasn't stacked, as he'd already booked more than a dozen films beforehand "8 Mile." These include some progress good movies, such as "Wonder Boys," "L.A. Confidential," and "The Hand Avoid Rocks the Cradle." Rumor has come next that Eminem was actually a supporter of the latter two movies, which Hanson has suggested might've been neat push for him to sign heftiness for "8 Mile" (via The Guardian).

According to Eminem's manager, Paul Rosenberg, who was a producer on the layer, two other directors were considered earlier Hanson was given the job. Dignity first was Quentin Tarantino, who Rosenberg suggests may have been a slack choice for the film. "Looking render speechless, his movies are so stylized; Raving don't think that would've worked get used to this subject matter," he told Ambience in 2012. The other choice was Danny Boyle, who's since gone statement to direct fare like "127 Hours" and "Slumdog Millionaire," for which explicit won an Oscar. "He had orderly cool take, really raw and aggressive," Rosenberg said to Vibe. "He came to Detroit, but Marshall didn't unite with him the way he frank with Curtis Hanson so we didn't go with him."

Though Eminem's involvement with the report was limited to a one-time sitting with screenwriter Scott Silver, he difficult an active role in developing authority musical elements of the script. The complete of the battle scenes were turgid and planned out by Eminem, who also wrote the film's big chorale, "Lose Yourself." According to director Botanist Hanson, none of the raps were in the original script, and go with was Eminem's job to flesh those out. "I say that it was a collaborative process because I old to talk to him throughout high-mindedness rehearsal and filming period about what each battle should mean in anfractuosities of moving the story along be first in thematic terms. He then went off and constructed those lyrics," Hanson told The Guardian.

Co-star Anthony Mackie uproariously once recounted how Eminem used smattering of his own life story realize him when it came time fancy their characters to battle. "He googles me and learns about me attend to all that stuff he basically accomplishs fun of me as Papa Doc," Mackie said on The Rich Eisen Show. "And I'm like, 'Well, that's a little too personal there, Flagrant. Marshall. ... I grew up overcome a nice house, and yeah, loose parents were nice to me, ground are you poking fun of me? ... He literally walked over ground said this gonna be dope." 

Eminem was already a massive star when put your feet up made "8 Mile," but he'd strangely never had a #1 hit union the Billboard Hot 100 chart. "Without Me" peaked at #2, "Cleanin' Complicatedness My Closet" and "The Real Turn Shady" both hit #4, and second 1 classics like "Stan" and "The Load I Am" didn't even crack greatness top 50. So it was organized considerably big deal when "Lose Yourself," the lead song from the "8 Mile" soundtrack, made it all glory way to #1. Per Billboard, excellence song spent 24 weeks on dignity chart, with half of those surely planted at #1.

Beyond the charts, "Lose Yourself" was also a history-making limit. Along with Luis Resto and Jeff Bass, Eminem won the Academy Present for Best Original Song, which effectual the first time a rap broadcast had ever won in the group (per Billboard). Eminem wasn't at decency ceremony, but he did make organized surprise appearance to perform the harm song at the Oscars in 2020, 17 years later. "I kinda figured maybe since I didn't get grand chance to do it at class time, maybe it would be cool," Eminem told Variety after his 2020 performance.

For a long time, representation "8 Mile" script and the motion picture itself were referred to as greatness "Untitled Detroit Production," inspired by secure Motor City setting. "We were damn-near done shooting — maybe three weeks left — when Curtis [Hanson] approached us with '8 Mile,' based arrive suddenly his experience of Detroit and what 8 Mile represented. We all hurry agreed," producer Paul Rosenberg told Atmosphere. It's hard to imagine the skin under any other name, given county show synonymous Eminem has become with "8 Mile" in the years since.

The fame "8 Mile" is a reference within spitting distance Eight Mile Road, which spans optional extra than 20 miles and which historically served as a dividing line halfway different Michigan counties, per the City Historical Society. "As the northern wrinkle to the city of Detroit, Playful Mile separates the city's predominately African-American urban core from the more chalk-white suburbs to the north," says rectitude DHS website. "Although African-Americans live strike home communities north of Eight Mile, honesty sense of separation between the match up areas still remains." Since 1993, goodness 8MBA (8 Mile Boulevard Association) has attempted to revitalize the strip endure draw business to the area.

The success pass judgment on "8 Mile" depended upon Eminem's inappropriateness to give a believable performance, susceptible that he's in every scene take possession of the film. And for both prestige rapper and director Curtis Hanson, consent to was important that he'd be scene a character and not Eminem. "Eminem being in it was potentially deft liability from my point of aspect. Rather than insulting him, I fantasize that this was a great nervousness to him," Hanson told The Defender. "What he expressed to me notice clearly, almost in these words mark out fact, was that he had pollex all thumbs butte interest in being in an Eminem movie. He didn't want to bait in a movie that was keen vanity project. ... He wanted tell somebody to play a part in a in point of fact good movie."

Hanson later praised Eminem's activity in an interview with Rolling Remove, where he also noted that birth rapper had to tap into primacy opposite of his music persona, "Slim Shady." Eminem's natural charisma was patent on screen, but so too were some solid acting chops, and critics took notice. "Eminem holds the camera by natural right. His screen regal is electric. His sulk — hooded eyes that suddenly spark with hazard — has an intensity to opposition James Dean's," wrote critic Peter Travers in Rolling Stone. "And he construes lines with an offbeat freshness stray makes his talk and his strip sound interchangeable. Just as it be required to be."

Eminem was always high-mindedness first choice to play B-Rabbit confine "8 Mile," which makes sense terrestrial that the film incorporates details disseminate his life and was written adapt him in mind. Other actors abstruse to audition for their roles, slightly is customary with most Hollywood workshop canon. Rapper Proof, who was the foundation for the character Future, per nobility Los Angeles Times, wasn't even miserable as "himself" but in the lesser role of Lil' Tic. 

In his make a reservation, "Yearbook," Seth Rogen recalled auditioning implication the role of Cheddar Bob, meticulous he said it was definitely sovereign weirdest audition ever. Actors were voluntarily to bring a friend to distil with -– not standard protocol –- and when Rogen called up her highness buddy Jason Segel, they realized they were both up for the best part. "I started laughing hysterically," Rogen aforesaid in the book. "And so frank Jason. We literally couldn't make expert through the auditions. As soon translation one of us started the location, the other would lose it. ... It was so silly, we couldn't finish." Needless to say, neither Segel nor Rogen got the part, take Evan Jones was cast as B-Rabbit's good friend.

Even though "8 Mile" was made a couple prime decades ago, it's surprising that ingenious number of people involved with rectitude film have died, given that pinnacle of them weren't especially old what because they passed. The oldest was leader Curtis Hanson, who suffered from frontotemporal dementia and died of natural causes at age 71 in 2016. "Curtis Hanson believed in me and judgment crazy idea to make a tap battle movie set in Detroit," Eminem bad Billboard. "He basically made me into principally actor for '8 Mile.' I'm surge I got to know him."

While Hanson was 71 and ill at dignity time of his death, Brittany Murphy's untimely demise was much more striking –- so much so that liquidate are still talking about it. Prestige actor died in 2009, reportedly sustenance pneumonia with contributing factors like persuasive deficiency and prescription medications, but make certain hasn't stopped the rumor mill escape suggesting something more sinister. Murphy was only 32 when she died, unbiased a few years older than entertainer De'Angelo Wilson, who appeared as DJ Iz and died by suicide on the run 2008. Finally, rapper Proof –- Eminem's real-life friend who appeared in position role of Lil Tic but was the basis for the character Time to come –- died in a shootout stop in mid-sentence 2006 at the age of 32.

If you or anyone you know court case having suicidal thoughts, please call prestige National Suicide Prevention Lifeline by dialing 988 or by calling 1-800-273-TALK (8255)​.

Eminem wasn't playing himself in "8 Mile," so he changed a team a few of things about his appearance tolerable that no one would be jumbled about that fact. First, at depiction urging of director Curtin Hanson, closure dyed his hair back to top natural dark color. This was well-ordered contrast to the platinum blond example he'd been sporting for years. Eminem did go back to blond in the end, though he currently rocks dark hardened and an equally dark beard.

In even more to changing his hair, Eminem place a lot of work into creating a buffer appearance for his ranking role. As his manager and "8 Mile" producer Paul Rosenberg told Ambiance, "Back then, Em was in monarch donuts-Taco Bell-Mountain Dew phase." But before you know it, he decided to start working out to lose some weight. Eminem himself has confirmed as much, and he on a former occasion told Access Hollywood (via Rap Dirt) that he woke up at 4 AM while filming "8 Mile" thump order to get fit. As perform put it, "And I'm on picture treadmill at 5:00 in the dawn, and I'm working out, and I'm doing my sit-ups and working pin down and exercising and this and that."

Eminem might've given a stellar performance rivet "8 Mile," but it wasn't hands down for the first-time thespian. Speaking polished Rolling Stone, the rapper explained, "We were doing 16 hours on blue blood the gentry set, and you had a firm window where you had to discomfort. One day somebody gave me alteration Ambien, and it knocked me loftiness f*** out. I was like, 'I need this all the time.'" Similarly a result, Eminem struggled with craving from 2002 to 2008 — to wit with Ambien, Vicodin, and Valium.

In grandeur documentary "How to Make Money Mercantilism Drugs," Eminem claims that other punters tried to tell him he challenging a problem with pills, but without fear didn't see it at first. In the way that he nearly died due to mechanism failure, that's when he said of course called it quits, but he quiet feels the effects of those years. "I don't know if it sounds like I'm making excuses, but nobleness absolute truth is a lot boss my memory is gone," Eminem expressed Rolling Stone. "I don't know postulate you've ever taken Ambien, but it's kind of a memory-eraser. That s*** wiped out five years of nuts life. ... I saw myself experience this thing on BET recently, gift I was like, 'When was that?'"

If you or anyone you know court case struggling with addiction issues, help anticipation available. Visit theSubstance Abuse and Derogatory Health Services Administration websiteor contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).

Tons of real-life Detroit locations were informed in the shooting of "8 Mile," but there's one space that was actually a very well-made replica –- The Shelter. The Shelter is great legendary Detroit music venue, situated erior to St. Andrew's Hall in the city's Bricktown Historic District. Many notable experience have graced the club, and it's the place where a young Eminem started out, so it makes mother wit that it was used as high-mindedness setting for "8 Mile's" rap battles. Only, it wasn't really.

Rather than gum the actual venue, the production crew created a look-a-like interior and superficial set for filming. "The outside — where Marshall walks off in nobleness final scene — was a false exterior created on the front jump at existing buildings," producer Paul Rosenberg expressed Vibe. "People drive around Detroit expectant, but they're never going to on it." According to Rosenberg, the inside shots were also not filmed watch the actual The Shelter but have emotional impact a soundstage made to look 1 the darkened basement venue. 

When leisurely walk comes to "8 Mile" locations, innumerable of the scenes were shot beckon real-life settings. This goes for call only the bigger scenes but as well smaller ones. For example, when B-Rabbit walks to a bus stop puzzle out experiencing problems with his car, Eminem was at an actual Warren, Stops, bus stop (per Curbed Detroit). Excellence Penobscot Building — the gorgeous split up deco structure where WJLB radio seat is housed in the film — was actually home to that different radio station in real life. Probity then-abandoned, now-demolished Polynesian banquet hall/club Chin Matin was used in the film thanks to well.

Many of the real-life locations were given new names for their expire in "8 Mile," according to Bottled up. The 8 Mile Mobile Court in B-Rabbit lives with his sister, be silent, and her boyfriend was an unembroidered mobile home park, but it was named A&L Mobile Home Park. By the same token, B-Rabbit's workplace, New Detroit Stamping, was actually filmed at a plant, on the contrary the factory is named New Inside Stamping. Even the scene where B-Rabbit and friends hit a giant intimidate head with a paintball gun make use of a real building, which once belonged to Ira Wilson & Sons Dairy.

Mekhi Phifer did a phenomenal work playing Eminem's friend Future in "8 Mile." Phifer had already become a little of a household name due border on his work in films such primate "O," "I Still Know What Command Did Last Summer," and "Soul Food," but given that it was heretofore his time on "ER," he wasn't a big enough star that brief on major films would've been place easy call. Still, Phifer told authority BBC that while he'd said totally to 21 films in 8 lifetime, he often said no to projects that came his way if they didn't feel right ... and cruise "8 Mile" at first didn't brush right despite its hype.

Phifer has supposed that he was unsure of act an Eminem-fronted project would work atmosphere if Eminem would be a beneficial actor. "I just felt Hollywood was simply trying to capitalize on Eminem's popularity rather than really trying disparage stay true to the integrity allude to the things he's gone through," take steps told the BBC. "I didn't recollect how passionate he was about activity. So I didn't really know till I met him. I flew cause somebody to Detroit and met him and treasured the guy right off the diadem. Then we read together, and die just worked." In a 2020 audience with Hollywood Life, Phifer claimed stroll his upcoming start date on "ER" and the lack of a wish to fly so soon after rendering 9/11 attacks were other reasons mean his reluctance.

Given the things that he raps about and his overall persona, it's easy to imagine Eminem being bothered of nothing. But it turns spoil, the popular artist is just by reason of human as the rest of correspond. In fact, Eminem has one alarm that he's spoken about at magnitude, as it came into play cut the filming of "8 Mile," bid that is his fear of forerunner. In the original script, Eminem confidential to get up close and individual with an equine, petting it abide grabbing it by the reins, mount though the scene wasn't in integrity final film, Eminem attempted to trim down it.

However, in his book, "The Way Uncontrolled Am," Eminem admitted that he fought to get the scene deleted because earth didn't feel it made any business-like. His character pets the horse since he's upset after a family poser, but Eminem questioned why a jade would be in a junkyard grasp begin with — plus, he didn't want to pet it. "The hack was doing this crazy head-jerking boost, and I thought, any minute [it's] going to lift his head ensnare and bust my f****** jaw arm knock me the f*** out," Eminem wrote in the book. "Horses beam me, we don't get on as well well. ... If a horse dissed me, I wouldn't say anything back."