For Soulja Boy, the foray into Hollywood was all he expected and more. The Southern superstar recently completed work on his first film, Officer Down, which stars such notables as James Wood, David Boreanaz and Stephen Dorff, and is scheduled for release this year.

“It is a $40 million movie,” Soulja told XXLMag.com recently on the phone from Tinsletown. “It stars actors from movies such as Blade, Brooklyn’s Finest, they’re in the movie."

Soulja plays a nefarious role, navigating through the underbelly of the narcotics world.

“I’m playing this character named ‘Rudy,’ he further explained. “It’s crazy. When I was in the movie, I was [playing] a multi-millionaire drug runner [that] had $20 and $30 million at the time. It was emotion in the movie. Once it comes out and people see me acting on the big screen, they’ll get to see a whole other side of Soulja Boy.”

Soulja says music and movies aren’t in the same ballpark.

“It’s a difference in the two worlds,” he added.

He wasn’t showcasing his acting skills at all during the 2012 BET Awards last Sunday (July 1), when he broke down in tears, clearly emotional over the tribute to late and legendary singer Whitney Houston.

Soulja spoke to XXLMag.com exclusively about being overcome with emotion.

“When I was standing there and they started to do the tribute, I started to think about Whitney Houston,” the 21-year-old rapper explained last week. “When her mother came onstage, I thought about how a mother was singing about her daughter that was no longer here. A daughter that had died.

“That’s really tough,” he added. “Then I started thinking about my younger brother that recently passed. I got his name tatted on my arm. [His passing] feels like it happened yesterday. So those things are hard to watch.”

Although Officer Down is scheduled for a 2012 release, the exact date it hits theaters is currently unknown.—Shaheem Reid

More From XXL