Résumé
- Mekhi Phifer talks about his role in the new film Lights Out, where he plays a morally ambiguous character who lures a military veteran into a violent underground fight club.
- Phifer praises his co-star Frank Grillo, stating that they have developed a bond and that Grillo is a consummate professional on set.
- Phifer mentions his upcoming projects, including The Silent Hour and Land of Grace, and discusses his experience working on the iconic film 8 Mile and being mentioned in Eminem’s Oscar-winning song.
For many moviegoers, he will always be Future. But Mekhi Phifer has put his stamp on a plethora of films and TV shows since 8 Mile broke out and even nabbed an Oscar all those years ago. The veteran actor has a new film out this week, in which he plays an ex-convict who entices a military veteran (Frank Grillo) to join a sort of underground fight club in Los Angeles. These secret societies actually exist, as we learned in a separate interview with Lights Out director Christian Sesma.
We also recently caught up with Phifer himself to learn more about his now extensive work alongside Grillo, why he almost dropped 8 Mile, and his other projects that will soon reach the masses.
With Grillo, an “accomplished professional”
What life would you turn to if you were on the streets and desperately needed money? In Lights Out, Grillo plays an unhoused veteran who somehow gets seduced into a violent life by Phifer’s morally ambiguous character, Max, after being noticed for his flawless fighting skills. “You look at life as an American, inflation is rising, the job market is a little better, but there’s not much opportunity for advancement in life,” Phifer said of his role. He continued:
“All these different things that I think stress out the everyday man and woman in America and around the world, just trying to put food on the table, to feed your family, to provide for those that are dear to him, I think it was more motivation, I’m just trying to achieve it, but I always try to be a good person for doing it too. [Max] is in some sort of underworld, in a seedy underground situation, he doesn’t really want to hurt anyone else.
Distribution of the quiver
Phifer and Grillo have terrific chemistry, even for this kind of B-movie that often delivers cheap thrills – in the form of nasty and often difficult-to-watch fight sequences. “It was the first time we worked together,” Phifer told MovieWeb.
“But since then we have made another film that will be released later this year, which just shows the bond that Frank and I formed together. And Frank was great to work with,” Phifer continued. “Frank is a consummate professional, he is definitely ready to work, to do his job. We worked really hard on this because we wanted to develop the core of it. Underground fighting [in Lights Out] it ultimately leads to the shooting and all these other things, but it really has to be about people so that you can follow the story and support our protagonist, who we try to call ourselves, or the antihero, like you want. “
Phifer then detailed his upcoming films:
“I have three other projects coming out this year. One is called The Silent Hour with Joel Kinnaman, Mark Strong and a host of other great actors. The other one is called Land of Grace, with Frank Grillo, just a bunch of wonderful actors… We had this SAG strike last year, which kind of delayed the promotion of some projects. But we’re back now, and here I am.
I’m in it for the long haul. It’s not a sprint, it’s a marathon. It’s not the destination, it’s the journey. And I’m having a great time doing this trip.
Name dropped in Eminem’s Oscar-winning song
Universal images
Most millennials have probably seen 8 Mile at least once, whether in theaters, on TV with commercial breaks, or on demand more recently. It’s a classic that really launched Phifer into stardom, so it’s no surprise that he stays in touch with some of the guys. “Unfortunately, some people backed out of the film for various reasons, and they are still in my heart, wholeheartedly,” he said.
“As for Eminem and Omar Miller, I was on the phone with him two days ago. Everyone, Anthony Mackie, everyone. And rest in peace, Curtis Hanson, our director. We bonded during this movie. I mean. , we had a great time, I think it shows on the screen, we really had to trust each other, a lot of raw energy. We were all young, in our twenties I think, and we had a great time. time to do it. And it’s very rare that you can participate in cinema in this way.
Distribution of the quiver
It’s also funny to think that Phifer almost passed on Future’s iconic role. He told us, “Well, when this happened for me, I was ready to start with the show ER, which I loved playing Dr. Greg Pratt, and I was excited to do it. And when I got the offer in 8 Mile, I didn’t really take it seriously, except for Curtis Hanson, who had already done LA Confidential and Wonder Boys and a bunch of other great things, and I respected him as a director and storyteller. ” He added:
“But then it was around 9/11, so flying somewhere was like crazy talk. Because I was in Los Angeles, and they wanted me to fly to Detroit to meet Eminem and meet these guys. And I was like, “This just doesn’t make sense to me, let me be this doctor,” because I had never played a doctor before and I was really excited about it. So it took a little convincing, but I read the script, the script was great. I saw what I could add to it, and I flew to Detroit and met Eminem, and the rest was up to me. to history.
And how many people can say they were mentioned in a song that won an Oscar trophy? “Eminem put my name [« Lose Yourself »]. I didn’t ask him to do that. One day he said to me, “I put your name in a song.” » And it turned out that I won an Oscar, so I’m mentioned in the Oscar-winning song. »
And he’s more than mentioned in this new realistic thriller. From Quiver Distribution, Lights Out will be in theaters, on demand and digitally on Friday, February 16, 2024.
2024-02-16 04:27:23
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