'8 Mile' Star Says A Sequel With Eminem Is Doubtful, 'Sometimes it's Just Best to Leave it Alone'

Music

While ‘8 Mile’ was a success with critics and audiences, actor Mekhi Phifer says there is little chance a sequel with Eminem ever happens

Published on January 7, 2023

While Eminem’s 8 Mile is a fondly remembered film, Eminem hasn’t done much acting since then. However, don’t expect the Detroit rapper to appear in a sequel anytime soon, as an actor from the original movie says the odds of a sequel are close to zero. 

‘8 Mile’ is a semi-autobiographical movie starring Eminem

8 Mile is a 2002 drama starring Eminem, a.k.a Marshall Mathers, and directed by Curtis Hanson. The movie follows Jimmy Smith Jr, a white rapper aspiring to break into the hip-hop industry, a world predominantly made up of black artists. While the movie isn’t directly about Eminem, it does contain autobiographical elements from his life in Detroit. 

The movie also stars Mekhi Phifer, Brittany Murphy, Michael Shannon, Kim Basinger, and Anthony Mackie. 8 Mile was a critical and box office success, grossing a worldwide total of $242.9 million. The accompanying soundtrack was also successful, and “Lose Yourself”  by Eminem became the first rap song to win Best Original Song at the Academy Awards. 

Mekhi Phifer says not to expect a sequel anytime soon

TMZ recently caught up with Phifer, who recently starred in Hulu’s Love, Victor.  In the interview, Phifer was asked about the possibility of a sequel to 8 Mile. The actor quickly removed any hopes of a sequel, saying there are no current plans and it’s best to leave it alone. He also says there is little chance that he or Eminem would appear in any 8 Mile sequel. 

“Sometimes it’s just best to leave it alone. Once you make it a classic, no reason to fool around with it,” Phifer said. “It could be interesting, but I wouldn’t be in it, and I’m sure Eminem wouldn’t be in it either.”

The actor also mentioned that there has never been a conversation about doing a sequel, as nobody wants to mess with a classic. 

Phifer was initially hesitant about starring in ‘8 Mile’

In 8 Mile, Phifer plays Future, Jimmy’s best friend and a rap battle host. His role is pivotal in the film to Jimmy’s development as an artist, but Phifer once admitted in an interview with The Breakfast Club, he was hesitant about taking the role. However, he was ultimately convinced to star in the role after meeting Eminem and learning more about who his character was based on. 

“I wasn’t stressing it, but what I did was I read the script. And the script was real slick,” Phifer shared. “And then they flew me to Detroit. And then me and Em just got together and just started building. You know what I mean? And I was like ‘Yo, I like this cat.’ You know? And then Curtis Hanson, dope ass director. It just all came together. You know what I mean? And we kinda wanted to be true to—Cause it was loosely based on Em’s career and Em’s life and Proof…And I felt honored—especially R.I.P to Proof. Being able to show him in that light. Cause I thought the movie was real slick. And I had fun portraying him.”

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