When it comes to Eminem, one of his crowning moments was when he played a fictional version of himself, and there are a lot of 8 Mile behind the scenes stories that go along with that moment in his life. Eminem has so many pseudonyms and aliases that one wouldn’t necessarily know what to call him if they were to run into him, including Marshall Mathers and Slim Shady. One name that comes to mind to many film fans is “Bunny Rabbit” from 8 Mile. It’s been 20 years since director Curtis Hanson and Eminem gave the world one of the greatest underdog hip-hop movies of all time.
Some fans say Eminem gives 8 Mile one of the best pop star performances in film history. As the years go by, 8 Mile‘s legacy proves to be lasting. “Lose Yourself” continues to play around the world, and has been cemented as a culturally relevant classic. Eminem even performed the track at one of the most celebrated and widely watched Super Bowl half-time shows in history. But as popular and well-known as this cult classic is, there are several 8 Mile behind-the-scenes facts that audiences might not know about it.
1 Eminem Lost 24 lbs And Appears In Every Scene
The celebrated rapper may be recognizable from the second he appears on-screen, but that doesn’t change the fact that Eminem went through some massive physical changes to play the down-and-out Detroit native who lives in a trailer park. His dedication perhaps helped make some critics call 8 Mile a great movie starring a non-actor. In some fun 8 Mile behind the scenes facts, Eminem was also asked to dye his hair brown for the filming of the movie since director Curtis Hanson didn’t want him to portray Slim Shady, but a more honest character (via Rolling Stone). After the physical transformation, viewers see this worn-out Slim Shady in every single scene of the film. This truly was Eminem’s show.
2 8 Mile Was Sent Out Under The Name “The Mars Project” And Filmed Under The Name “Untitled Detroit Project”
It could be considered somewhat surprising that 8 Mile picked up such a loyal fan base so quickly because the film was sent out to movie theaters under the pseudonym of “The Mars Project” to shroud the project in secrecy before release (via ShortList). Along with that, in some 8 Mile behind-the-scenes facts, the title for the feature wasn’t decided until filming was almost finished with the project being worked on under the name “Untitled Detroit Project.” However, thanks to word of mouth and the appearance of Eminem playing a version of himself, the movie ended up making $245 million on a $41 million budget (via The Numbers).
3 Quentin Tarantino & Danny Boyle Were Approached To Direct
One surprising 8 Mile behind-the-scenes fact is that two of Hollywood’s most renowned filmmakers wanted a crack at directing Eminem’s motion picture — and both of them came extremely close to doing so (via Cult MTL). In Danny Boyle’s case, he met with Eminem and the other producers before ultimately deciding that their creative differences wouldn’t allow him to direct the film the way he wanted to. Quentin Tarantino wasn’t as close as Boyle to getting the job, but it’s rumored he genuinely wanted it but would’ve had to back out of making Kill Bill, which just wasn’t an option.
4 Real Detroit Sites Are Showcased
Eminem is known for representing his city, and 8 Mile appears to strive for authenticity. As such, the movie was shot on location in Michigan. It also showcases real bars and restaurants in the city like the Chin Tiki Bar and Restaurant. However, there are some inconsistencies with the film’s timeline. 8 Mile takes place in 1995, and the Chin Tiki closed its doors around 1980 (via Critiki). Eagle-eyed fans can note some other out-of-place items, like newer cars popping up on the screen. However, this is a movie and not a documentary, and Eminem didn’t seem to have a problem with promoting Detroit landmarks.
5 8 Mile Made Oscar History
8 Mile made waves as a movie, but the film’s song “Lose Yourself” became a stand-alone hit. The track is still relevant today, and Eminem reminded audiences of that at the Super Bowl in 2022. The song won the Academy Award for Best Original Song, making it the first rap song in history to do so. Eminem perhaps wasn’t expecting to receive the accolade, because he didn’t show up to the ceremony and wasn’t able to accept the award in person. However, he made up for that by appearing at the Oscars in 2020 to finally perform for the actors and directors in attendance.
6 8 Mile Was Anthony Mackie’s First Movie
The man who took up the mantle of Captain America in the MCU faced his greatest enemy back in 2002 – and it was his first movie ever. Papa Doc himself, the man who was supposed to be the top dog of Free World and dethrone Eminem as the greatest freestyle rapper, was Anthony Mackie’s first film role. What is even more interesting is that Eminem took some shots at Mackie in the movie, and he couldn’t do anything about it. “He Googles me and learns about me and all this stuff,” Mackie said, “And he basically makes fun of me, as Papa Doc. And I’m like, ‘That’s a little too personal there, Mr. Marshall’” (via hiphop24x7).
7 Southpaw Was Meant To Be A Sequel
Do audiences ever wonder what an 8 Mile sequel might have looked like? As it turns out, highly-sought-after director, Kurt Sutter (Sons of Anarchy) had the same thought and started developing a sequel to 8 Mile in which a boxer who loses custody of his daughter ends up trying to get her back with Eminem playing the role of the boxer (via Collider). Unfortunately, in 8 Mile behind the scenes facts, certain things fell through in the film’s production, and it ended up not working out with Eminem as the lead. Jake Gyllenhall was brought in to replace him — as well as nixing the whole potential 8 Mile sequel subplot.
8 Future Was Based On Proof
Fans of 8 Mile no doubt remember Mekhi Phifer’s Future. Rabbit’s best friend can be seen in both their candid moments together and also as the host of the underground rap battles that showcase some of the best freestyles in 8 Mile. Rap fans perhaps recall Detroit hip-hop collective D12, which Eminem helped make famous. In some 8 Mile behind the scenes facts, his collaborator and friend widely known as one of D12’s members, Proof, was an inspiration for Future’s character (via The LA Times). However, Proof plays a smaller different part as Lil Tic in the film.
9 Eminem Was Supposed To Mime His Words, But He Started Rapping
There are nearly a dozen scenes throughout 8 Mile where Jimmy “B-Rabbit” Smith Jr. displays his lyrical mastery, but one scene that was never meant to be as authentic as it came out is the Freestyle battle in the parking lot. In some interesting 8 Mile behind-the-scenes facts, according to the script and the director, Eminem was going to write a “freestyle” that was then going to be dubbed over the film while he just mimed some words on camera. However, after listening to a few of the other artist’s rap, Slim Shady had to step in and do what he does best (via MTV).
10 “Bunny Rabbit” Is For Eminem’s Big Ears
One of the greatest things about the rapper, and why so many people tend to gravitate toward Eminem’s persona and alter-ego, is that he will call anybody out – including himself. Marshall Mathers has always been the person to clearly, and obscenely, tell it how it is, and he has no problem fitting himself into that category, proven by the fact that his character, Bunny Rabbit, gets his nickname because Eminem has some pretty big ears. In some fun 8 Mile behind-the-scenes facts, Eminem was called “Mickey” (as in Mickey Mouse) when he was a kid for the same reason (via The Sun).
11 8 Mile Couldn’t Film The Final Battle At The Shelter (Eminem’s Original Club)
It’s ordinarily a good thing when any place that is rundown and considered dingy or decrepit ends up turning itself around and becomes a respectable place of business – just not in this instance. Director Curtis Hanson and Eminem agreed that it would add special authenticity to the movie if they filmed the final rap battles at the club where Eminem got his original start, The Shelter. Unfortunately, the club had become too nice of a place to fit their vision for the scene, and they ended up having to drop the idea. One 8 Mile behind-the-scenes fact is that they filmed the final battle at a warehouse located at the Rivertown Warehouse District (via Top Movie Locations).
12 Eminem Wrote 8 Mile’s Songs In-Between Shooting Scenes
Eminem is one of the world’s most successful recording artists, and walking hand-in-hand with that title is the incredibly busy schedule to go along with it. It turns out, Eminem was so busy during the filming of 8 Mile that he had to write the songs for the films in between the takes and scenes he was shooting (via The Ringer). That ended up giving hip-hop one of its most celebrated songs in “Lose Yourself.” It’s hard to say if it would necessarily happen again if Eminem were to make another film – but some audiences wouldn’t be surprised. What is resulted in was Eminem winning an Oscar and creating a beloved musical movie.