Mekhi Phifer First Thought ‘8 Mile’ Was Corny

In an interview with Power 105's Breakfast Club, Mekhi Phifer unveiled that he wasn't sure if he wanted to participate in "8 Mile" at first. Revealing that when the role was first mentioned, he felt that the film seemed cheesy and not until after he met Eminem did he decide to move forward with the film.

"I wasn't stressing it, but what I did was I read the script," Mekhi told Power 105. "And the script was real slick. 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."