Terrence Howard Couldn’t Focus on His Acting in ‘Get Rich or Die Tryin’ Because of 50 Cent
50 Cent and Terrence Howard once teamed up for the 2005 Jim Sheridan feature Get Rich Or Die Tryin’. While filming, Howard initially found focusing on his performance difficult because of 50 Cent’s lingering presence.
Why 50 Cent called Terrence Howard ‘a little crazy’
Get Rich or Die Tryin’ marked 50 Cent’s debut in Hollywood. The rapper turned television mogul found himself working alongside many powerful and talented performers in the film industry. One of those actors was superstar Terrence Howard, who he had nothing but kind words for.
“Terrence, he’s incredible. This is his time on the acting circuit. He’s coming up for real. You can see his consistency,” he once told IGN. “Sometimes you don’t have to have a knockout punch to win. It’s been a combination for Terrence… I actually think his performance in this film is going to take him to a higher level.”
But at the same time, 50 admitted he felt Howard’s commitment to roles could be a bit extreme. It was a kind of method acting he’d seen several times in the business.
“I watch all his films – So I get a chance to see him progress and how he’s becoming more and more comfortable with being different people. He’s a little crazy,” he continued. “These people are crazy, you know the people that can consistently be someone else. How do you get home, how do you get back to you?”
Terrence Howard couldn’t concentrate on his acting in ‘Get Rich or Die Tryin’ because of 50 Cent
Likewise, Howard also had similar remarks for his Die Tryin’ co-star. Although this was 50’s first time acting in a feature film, Howard was impressed by the artist’s potential and growth.
“I was just blown away by his willingness to try new things,” Howard once said according to Black Film. “Was he nervous at the start and a little stiff? Yeah, but Jim somehow found a way to coach him out of that nervous area. That’s what I’m talking about.”
Howard felt something special about 50 even before he officially met the rapper. In one instance, Howard was rehearsing a scene with the film’s director. But he could barely get through the take due to sensing the Power executive.
“It was intense, because I felt him before I saw him. I was rehearsing with Jim and something kept distracting me to another room. And I didn’t know 50 was in there. So, after a half hour, Jim said, ‘You seem distracted. And I was like, ‘Yeah, sorry. I just can’t concentrate right now.’ He said, ‘I think I know why. You’re sensitive aren’t you?’ And I said, ‘What do you mean?’ And he took me over to two doors down and there was my kindred spirit sitting there writing,” Howard recalled.
Howard asserted there was a kind of bond between the two in their first encounter despite the fact that they exchanged no words.
“We didn’t say nothing, we just looked at each other from across the room. We could have been sitting there for half an hour,” Howard said.
50 Cent taught Terrence Howard how to be still
50 Cent may have found himself learning from Terrence Howard, but Howard learned a few lessons from the rapper as well. According to MTV News, the Empire star discovered a new way to be in a scene thanks to 50 Cent.
“One of the things that I learned, the hardest thing to do is be still. When you don’t know what to do, be still. He mastered that. And therefore, when he jumped forward and has something to say, he spoke the truth with it. That’s a genius. That’s what makes great film work. He was there from the beginning. I actually learned more from watching him, ’cause he taught me to be still,” Howard said.
