Eminem wanted Mariah Carey (only four years older) to play his mother in ‘8 Mile’: “She did not like that shit at all”

Eminem reportedly wanted to hire Mariah Carey, who is just four years older than him, to play his mother in 8 Mile.

The anecdote was shared by a former producer for the pop star during a recent episode of the TFU Podcast.
Speaking in the appearance, Damion ‘Damizza’ Young – who worked with Carey on both ‘I Still Believe’ and ‘Crybaby’ – explained how the singer’s team was advising her against working on a film called Glitter when a spokesperson for Eminem got in touch.
He said the rapper’s team reached out with the hopes of setting up a meeting between the two, and said it was in regard to Eminem developing a film and seeking out a contribution from Carey.
“They said, ‘He’s got this movie called 8 Mile and he wants her to be in the movie,” he recalled, before adding that he ultimately passed the proposal over to Carey despite being reluctant to get “in the middle”.
While the ‘Emotions’ singer was initially uninterested in the offer, she eventually came around to the idea after learning that it was an acting role that he had her in mind for, and they organised a call.
Before they got in touch, Young recalled how he spoke directly to Eminem and urged him not to mistreat her or poke fun at her with the offer. “I’m managing this girl, and it’s gonna cause me a problem,” he told the rapper, who then allegedly responded: “No, I genuinely want her in the movie.”

When they then connected on a three-way call, however, the rapper quickly blurted out: “I want you to play my mother”.
“She did not like that shit at all,” Young explained. “Her insecurities kicked in big time.”
Ultimately it was Kim Basinger who took on the role in the semi-biographical story of the rapper’s early life in Detroit and his origins in rap battles. The film also starred Brittany Murphy and Mekhi Phifer, grossed more than $240million (£207million) worldwide and remains one of the highest-rated hip-hop movies ever made.
The soundtrack also arrived in 2002 and featured contributions from the likes of Jay-Z, 50 Cent, Nas, Rakim and Gang Starr.
Also in the interview on TFU, Young touched upon the long-running rumours that Carey and Eminem once dated – something the pop star has always denied. “It was her chasing him, not him chasing her,” he claimed in the interview. “Next thing I know, we are at Eminem’s house… and they disappear.”
In other Eminem news, the rapper’s team are suing Meta for the alleged unauthorised distribution of his music and seeking statutory damages of up to $150,000 (£110,837) per track. As a result, potential damages could reach more than $1million (£739,000) in total.
His last album, ‘The Death of Slim Shady (Coup De Grâce)’ was given a three-star review from NME, which read: “Much more powerful is ‘Temporary’, a genuinely moving ode to his daughter, Hailie, which proves Marshall Mathers can say something that matters when he wants to.
“So, who killed Slim Shady? In bringing him back to the light and showing him up as irrelevant, perhaps Eminem’s done his old pal in for good. OK, we get it – Shady was a shocking character. Now that he’s dead, how about getting some new material?”

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