During the winter of 2002, Eminem appeared as the lead character “B-Rabbit” in his first feature film “8 Mile” — alongside actors Anthony Mackie and the late Brittany Murphy. The movie is partially based on the rapper’s own experiences participating in Detroit emcee battles, which made him perfect for the role. Following the film’s release, it garnered $51.2 million during opening weekend and eventually won the Best Original Song for Eminem’s hit “Lose Yourself.”
“There’s a lot of similarities between me and this guy. Maybe Marshall would’ve handled this situation a little different,” Eminem said in an interview uploaded to YouTube. “I had to strip myself of ego and everything, go back, put myself in that position where I was reserved and I was shy. I had it in me, but I wasn’t quite sure how to bring it out yet in a positive way. I really felt like I wanted people to hear me so bad.”