After being shot 9 times, a person should not even be alive. But not 50 Cent! The hip-hop star was just getting started releasing his first album, Get Rich or Die Tryin’ and debut single In Da Club in 2003.

So three records later, countless awards, world wide fame, 50 decided it was time to take it to the next level – the big screen. His first film, titled Get Rich or Die Tryin’ is a semi-autobiographical film that chronicles his life growing up in South Jamaica, a life of crime and drugs to a huge rap career.

The film is directed by Jim Sheridan, who has brought us the beautiful movies In America, My Left Foot and In the Name of the Father; it’s written by Terence Winter, who’s also written for The Sopranos and is in the process of finalizing the script for the re-make of The Warriors.

At this year’s MTV Video Awards, 50 Cent granted Latino Review an interview to talk about the film. So when the opportunity came up to fly down to Miami, it was a no brainer to say ‘yes.’ We got to talk to 50 Cent over at the posh Ritz Carlton to have breakfast with 50, in which 50 talked about doing his first feature and how much Eminem helped him out on the role. Check out what else he had to say:

How did Get Rich or Die Tryin’ come together at Paramount?

50 Cent: We actually started developing it a long time…Actually after the first week of sales of Get Rich or Die Tryin' (Album) Jimmy (Iovine) started talking about the film. I think he had the first week of sales came in and he had the projection for the next week of sales and he was like “Yo! He’s going to be big enough.” So he started talking to me about it and found the right writers Terence Winter, he came out on the tour with me during Roc the Mic tour, which was a huge tour. It was Jay-Z, Busta Rhymes, Missy Elliot, Sean Paul, Fabolous, Little Mo, and myself. We went out on the road and he stayed with me for like 2 ½ months and compiled the information, him and the writer also (of the book From Pieces To Weight) Kris Ex. I came across Kris Ex…cause I work with so many journalist for different publications they come to write small stories and I read all those stories that people write about me and the ones that are really interesting to me are the ones where they actually write their take on me, oppose to just printing what I said, because they ask me similar questions so often sometimes it sounds like I’m just answering the question different intentionally.

So were you writing the book at the same time as you were doing the screenplay?

50 Cent: Well we were compiling the information at the same time because it’s difficult. If I ask you to tell me your life story right now you’ll miss so many things that are vivid and one conversation that you have to come back and you have all these different things that happened in your life that are significant that you have to kind of fit in the timeline to say ‘well this happened between this and this’ and we kind of got all the information together. Between the things that I said on tape to Terry (Winter) and then the things I said on tape to Kris Ex we put them altogether and then they got all the information. The book has a little more details to the things because the film is really loosely based. So I still had to prepare for the role on the film and there’s portions of it that are little more fictional to make it fit cinematically.

Speaking of the film, when rappers start out doing film they do the thug thing and then after a while they start to branch out and start exploring other roles. Do you see yourself exploring other characters down the road?

50 Cent: Absolutely. To be honest with you when the idea (for the film) first came up I was like ‘Alright lets see what happens’ and it wasn’t until I actually read the screenplay that I became excited about it and then I started to…I actually wanted to do a good at it. (Laughs) I’m a rapper first and I’m not looking to turn into a super actor, I might because I really did a good job on the film but that’s just because once I commit to something I can work hard enough to get a good job done.

Did you get any advice from Eminem about acting and were you nervous?

50 Cent: Eminem was no help for me on this film. He started out teasing at me saying like ‘Yo! I don’t know why you let them talk you into that. Its going to be terrible they going to have up there for 20 hours, you’re going to be doing this and you’re going to be doing that, how’d you let them tell you that?” I was like ‘They told me you said you wanted me to do it’ (laughs) cause they came to me and said ‘Eminem said this is going to be incredible he thinks that if you can go ahead and tell your story so different from his that it will be really exciting that people can make a direct comparison and then when they go a see the films they will see how different your lifestyles actually were in music and they will really enjoy it.”

And then he (Eminem) gives a whole other story he tells me ‘You know I ain’t say nothing like that, ah man you let them sucker you. You’re a sucker.’ Then when I get there (at the set) like after the first week (of shooting) he calls me and he’s like ‘You like it? What’d you think?’ I was like ‘This is cool.’ He said ‘ nah nah I know it was going to be cool, I was just trying to make you nervous.’

(Laughs)

How was working with Jim Sheridan?

50 Cent: Jim is great. I actually spent the day with Jim yesterday we were running around. I can hang out with Jim, like just kick it. He yelled at me one time towards the end (of shooting) and it didn’t matter if I quit or not. He cursed me out cause I threw money…we were in the Bronx shooting exteriors and they don’t understand that once we get back to New York I am 50 Cent regardless to what character I’m playing. Once we’re in the streets and there’s 2000 kids at the barricade…they (studio people) say ’50 focus don’t pay attention to the people, blah blah.’ And it starts off like ‘Yo 50, Yo 50 we love you.’ Then they (the fans) notice that you’re not acknowledging them period and then its ‘Yo 50 (long pause) Fuck you 50.’

Outburst of laughter

You see what I’m saying, it turns into anything they can say to get your attention and they don’t really have bad intentions it’s just damn…you got the kids that can’t purchase the ticket at the barricade so it’s a show for them for real, it’s like they say ’I’m looking at 50, 50 is right here’ that’s how they get 2000 kids get there. They call each other ’50 is right on my block, right here in the Bronx.’ And then everybody starts coming out and it turns into 2000 people easy, so I threw money in the crowd and the kids started running all over the place. Jim (Sheridan) goes (50 puts an Irish accent) ‘Ah what the fuck, you think you would something better than that, the kids are going to kill each other.’ (Laughs) He talks funny, but he probably thinks I talk funny too.

What are the differences between your character Marcus and the real you?

50 Cent: Well in certain situations it’s totally different. They missed (quoted)…I think it was the Daily News they said that I must think that the gangsta image that I have isn’t gangsta enough because I mention that I was shot. I would kill the guy that I shot in front of the store in the film. But they didn’t understand the circumstances surrounding it; I was speaking from the characters perspective and without my mind frame would be in that real situation in my life. If someone shot and paralyze my friend in the night club and we specifically knew and was going back to address it, I don’t think I could possibly walk away with just shooting him in the leg because he already has the capabilities to shot and paralyze my best friend. I thought in my mind whether he would actually hurt me, so all you’re doing is aggravating him, he’d be back out the hospital in a week. You know what a gunshot wound to the leg is? I’m sure you know what it is. A gunshot wound to the leg is assault, its assault; you can do that (time) right now and be home in a couple of years. Like it’s not with a deadly weapon, which is worst but it’s still assault classified you cant say its attempted murder unless you shot like 500 times and only hit him in the leg. (Laughs) But you know it’s not a big deal, in the environment it’s not.

How come the movie then isn’t like the book then?

50 Cent: I think it was difficult to create a film that captures all of that energy and (do it) accurately in an hour in a half. I mean how do you put your life…I’m 29 years old into an hour and in a half. It has to be something that ties it together to make it accurate or make it a good film that would make it interesting enough for people to watch it. There’s different ways to turn it a great film and I think the direction that we took was the best possible direction.

How does Joy Bryant’s character fit into your life?

50 Cent: Joy’s character is actually…the way she lived across the street from me when I was small and she was like my best friend from the beginning of the film. That was actually a guy in my real life. His name was Charles Pringle that lived across the street from me; he had to go home once the streetlights came on. Her character has to be in the house as soon as the streetlights come on. They kind of took some of the characteristics for her character from other portions of my story, so everything that is there is relevant to my life its just gumbo.

Where there scenes in the movie that were emotional for you cause they were like reliving parts of your life?

50 Cent: The most difficult part for me was the actually being shot (at) not being shot in the actually scene where they are shooting me like where I’m running. It was more difficult to do the operation portion, I guess because the part where I’m actually being shot at outside the cars, I’m running so it’s physical. In order for me to make the scene right I had to focus physically on what I was doing also to get it exactly where it’s suppose to be on film cinematically. The portion where I was actually being operated on I was sitting on the table for 8 hours. I pretty much had my eyes closed but I’ve been in the position before, so they don’t understand how possible it is to be back in that situation but when you already experienced it, it’s a little…you get a little more concession of it.

What’s harder being a rapper or being an actor?

50 Cent: Well for me I’m already conditioned to be a rapper. I think this was the beginning of my first step towards establishing myself as an actor and I’d take my time with it, I’m not in a hurry. Plus Denzel (Washington) and them are getting old. (Laughs)

How was working with Terrence Howard on set cause he did a role which is the opposite of you?

50 Cent: Terrence is incredible man. I mean this is his time on the acting circuit, like he’s coming up for real like you can see his consistencies. Sometimes you don’t have to have 8 KO’s punches to win. It’s been a combination for Terrence Howard, he just did Crash, and he had a spot on Four Brothers where he played a police officer, he did Hustle and Flow. And you can look forward to see him again in Get Rich or Die Tryin’. I actually think his performance in this film is going to even take him to a higher level, a higher spot. I watched all his films and I got a chance to see him progress and how he is getting more and more comfortable with playing different people. He’s a little crazy. (Laughs) 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? You ever thought about that.

What do you think of Terrence as a rapper?

50 Cent: I thought he did a great job in the film. I think he can do anything. Some people are chameleons but how do you get back to being you? You know when spend 3 months…lets say it takes 30 days to make it happen, whatever it is and you decide to go on a diet and after 30 days it becomes easy for you so if you become someone else for 3 months don’t you think sometimes that portion of that character comes back. When you get frustrated or angry you go back to being that angry character, you can get back to a comfortable space when…my experience with Hollywood women prove it. (Laughs)

Can you clarify that?

50 Cent: Nah man, you trying to mess up my love life. (Laughs).

What are your feelings right now, how do you feel with all the success you’ve had coming from the Southside Jamaica Queens?

50 Cent: Man it feels great. Really what it is it’s a trade stress. I trade not knowing how I’m going to pay my bills for having everybody in my business. (Laughs)

Obviously we are the online press, and you have a big online fan audience is there something that you think is perhaps a misperception or is there something that you would want fans to know about you?

50 Cent: The misperception is gangsta 50. That’s the biggest misperception, because I can be those things that people…I have a reputation, my past is my shadow it follows everywhere I go. When you put my back against the wall I got to do what I got to do. Because hip-hop has no requirements you deal with people that have the least intelligence on the planet. Some of the people that compare themselves to me compare themselves to me because they rap and I rap, they can even read the contracts that they sign to be a rapper to do the deal. This is the honest to God truth and because of it you have artist that are on…feel like that there in exact situation with me when I make up 70% of Interscope’s black music and they still can’t get it. And I look it and I go ‘cause they don’t understand’ so I can’t fight people who don’t understand. I can say something to let them know what’s on my mind and then move away from them like FAT JOE for instance. I made a two bar reference to him on “Piggy Bank” that’s all I got for him, to let him know and then his record comes out and he sells 100,000 copies. It’s obvious it doesn’t generate the interest of the general public so he doesn’t generate my interest either. I just have to let him know cause the kid in the schoolyard that doesn’t want to fight always leaves with a black eye because you’d make a coward brave when then see you afraid. My approach sometimes to the things that I’m saying I think they misinterpret what I’m actually doing, this is chess not checkers. I utilize them for what I can use them for and then I move away and do what I got to do. I can tell you before I put out my record I knew FAT JOE would respond first it’s pride, Latino pride. You can’t escape that, that’s what he is.

(Looks at me) He laughs cause he knows exactly what I’m talking about. The other situations, their clear up you’ll see. I’m going to stop being disrespectful towards him cause one day I may need to do business with him. I don’t see any value in him music wise, if you can’t sell a CD you can’t sell a drink a shirt or a shoe. Somewhere along the line there may be possibilities we can do something together. He didn’t do anything so disrespectful that makes me hate him. I hate Ja Rule.

How involved were you in the video game Bulletproof?

50 Cent: I was very involved, I spent 20 hours doing voice over and I had to do the motion suit and I did all kinds of work with them on the actual video game. Terry (Winter), I used the same screenwriter to create the theme for the video game, since he had all the information he was the guy to do it.

Are you a big video game player?

50 Cent: You know what? I spent so much time on the tour bus, I watched them maybe spend 4-5 hours while we were going from city to city playing video games. I actually wanted to be part of that form of entertainment and that’s why I’m actually IN the video as oppose to just making the video game and say 50 Cent G Unit video game and just put all my music in it. But I see that they would play music from another source, like they would put the stereo on and play my music while they would play that video game that they like, so I changed what I did. I took a lot of material that I put out for promotional purposes because it was something that I put on a mix tape and I got everything that I cleared and actually put it on the video game. So they (players) can actual hear the mix tape while they are playing the video game. Then there are 4 new records that I recorded for the actually video game and there is a portion in the menu (on the video game) that you go to ‘Video” to see all the videos that we put out commercially through G Unit.