50 Cent: De Niro Inspired Me
50 Cent The 34-year-old rapper plays a cancer-stricken American football player in upcoming drama Things Fall Apart. 50 was extremely committed to the role, losing 54lbs in nine weeks so he would look like he was battling the potentially-fatal disease.
50 has spoken extensively about how he slimmed down, and he has now revealed how he got ready for the acting side of the part. The star says he spent hours reading old interviews with De Niro, who is known for his method acting, and other stars who have gone to extreme lengths for films.
"I read [Robert] De Niro's interviews during Raging Bull, Christian Bale's during The Machinist, and Tom Hanks with Philadelphia," 50 said during an interview on American chat show The View.
50 also told the hosts about his diet and weight loss regime. He said he couldn’t wait for filming to wrap because he was so desperate for some real food, but found he wasn’t even able to finish his first proper meal.
"I remember specifically what the first thing was, because I was starving," he laughed. "I had a steak. It was 12 ounces, but I got about four ounces in before I started getting sleepy."
