October 29, 2007

50 Cent Raves About Acting Alongside Robert De Niro, Al Pacino In Righteous Kill

By Shawn Adler, with reporting by Tim Kash (MTV.com)

Reports that rapper Curtis Jackson assaulted a co-star on the set of his new film Righteous Kill are untrue, he told MTV News - and for proof all anybody needs to do is check out his bottom line.

Look, he didn't rename himself 50 Cent for nothing.

"You know how much that would cost?" he joked, dismissing reports that he came to blows with actor Frank John Hughes after being called out for not knowing his lines. "It was actually a fight scene in the film - so expand it, get a little bit of controversy going so people [will be] be interested."

It's an unusually self-aware answer for a controversial figure some may view as a loose cannon. But it's precisely that hyper-awareness of his own public persona that helps him fit in so well on the set of Righteous Kill, he said. Consider that among the cast, co-stars Al Pacino and Robert De Niro have won three Oscars, while 50 has been in three movies. Ever.

But if his august co-stars had any initial bias toward his acting abilities, they don't anymore, he grinned.

"I think they got a perception of hip-hop artists based on the things in the past - previous artists, they came through and had a different attitude. I'm not sure if those artists even had the opportunity to meet Al Pacino and Robert De Niro, but just [from] being on movie sets [they influence perception]," 50 said. "After interacting with me, they see something different."

50 plays Spider, a nightclub owner who finds himself tangled up in the chase between two old detectives (De Niro and Pacino) and a serial killer who leaves poems about his crimes near his victims. And he has great scenes with both, Fif teased.

"I've worked with them," he enthused. "It's exciting. The whole thing is a great experience."

But, more importantly perhaps, it's been a learning experience as well. How could it not be with two acting legends hanging around on set?

"It was definitely cool just being around them, away from actually performing on camera," 50 gushed. "De Niro, I've been to his house, met his wife. We've been to the firing range a couple times together."

And Pacino? Turns out even the most self-aware of people can learn something about how to interact with their own image.

"For me, I just wanted to make sure that I was 100 percent comfortable with the actual scene - I'd look at myself," 50 said of his acting process. "[But] he won't look at himself after he does the scenes, Al Pacino won't. He's like, 'I know how I look.' "

For news on how 50 looks, though, you'll have to wait until the movie hits theaters next year, he said, a coy smile on his face.

"I feel good about my performance," he said. "I want everybody to go see it and be excited."