Larry Carroll – MTV.com
‘Working beside him is a great honor,’ the MC says of starring alongside Forest Whitaker.
It’s one of the most bizarre — and secretive — projects in the worlds of hip-hop and Hollywood. Ever since it was first announced, it has raised more questions than answers. But now, 50 Cent is finally ready to talk about his monstrous turn in a modern-day “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” film.
“That one’s coming up soon,” Fif told us this week, excited about the first horror film of his young acting career, which he starts shooting at this end of the summer opposite a recent Oscar winner. “It’s me and Forest Whitaker. I actually just spoke to his agent yesterday.”
Since the project made headlines in May, 50 has remained tight-lipped about the remake of Robert Louis Stevenson’s timeless tale of an affable doctor battling the evil within himself. In the classic setup, the doctor invents a potion that fully unveils his inner beast — only to create a battle between Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde for their common body.
“Ah, so you assuming?” the chart-topper laughed when I told him that Internet buzz suspects that he’ll be portraying the monster. “I don’t know, you know?”
After a bit of coaxing, however, he admitted his role for the first time. “Yeah, I’m supposed to play Hyde.”
“It’s gonna be intense,” he said excitedly. And although his appearance will be transformed with makeup and hair so he can play a deadlier version of Whitaker’s mild-mannered Dr. Jekyll, 50 Cent said that they’re just now getting around to discussing his look with accomplished filmmaker Abel Ferrara. “He’s an excellent director, so his creative ideas will definitely be an injective into what it’s actually gonna turn out to be.”
“Are you familiar with Abel Ferrara? ‘Bad Lieutenant’?” 50 Cent said of one of his favorite movies, a controversial 1992 flick starring Harvey Keitel and currently being remade with Nicolas Cage. “It was amazing. So, then you understand that the director we chose for this [‘Jekyll’] project is the kind of guy that has an eye for real cutting-edge, really in-your-face material.”
50 Cent also confirmed that his “Jekyll” will update Stevenson’s tale to take place in modern times. “When you say ‘Jekyll and Hyde,’ it’s been made a couple of times,” explained the actor, who can be seen with Val Kilmer in the New Orleans cop drama “Streets of Blood” when it hits DVD later this month. “And [it’s been told] from different perspectives, with different directors trying to capture it. But this is gonna feel great. It’s modern, with new talent in it. Forest Whitaker is amazing, and working beside him is a great honor.”
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