"I wanna fight this motherf**ker" - Anthony Mackie claims Eminem used his real-life story to mock in their 8 Mile rap battle

Anthony Mackie accused rapper Eminem of using his real-life story details to mock him during their rap battle at the end of 8 Mile. Mackie added that he spoke to the Slim Shady rapper for "two hours" about his childhood in New Orleans.

In a March 11 interview on The Pivot Podcast, Anthony Mackie revealed how he shared his life details with Eminem and how the rapper used them in his track. He said:

"We’re on set one day, and he’s like, 'Yo, it doesn't make sense that we're beefing.' I was like, 'Right.' He was like, 'I need something on you.' I was like, 'Alright man, I’ll see you later.' I go to the casino. The next day, we're shooting the battle scene, and that's why I'm standing there like, 'You're talking about me. You're not talking about Clarence. This has nothing to do with the character."

Anthony Mackie played the role of Clarence Papa Doc in the 2002 film, 8 Mile, directed by Curtis Hanson. It also marked Slim Shady's acting debut as he played James "Jimmy" Smith Jr in the film.

"You’re an a**hole, Eminem. I wanna fight this motherfu**er. I’m like, yes, my parents are still married," Mackie recalled about the incident.

Eminem notably won an Oscar for his song Lose Yourself in 8 Mile. The film also featured some real-life elements from the rapper's life and traced his growth as a Detroit rapper.

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When Anthony Mackie claimed Eminem made fun of him as Papa Doc in the 8 Mile final rap battle

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The aforementioned interview is not the first time Anthony Mackie has called out Eminem for allegedly targeting him using his personal details during the final rap battle on 8 Mile.

In a 2021 interview with The Rich Eisen Show, Mackie revealed further details about the incident. He said,

“There was this one day, we were sitting on the set and Eminem comes over and he’s like ‘what’s up man, I was reading a script and there is no reason for me not to like you, you are cool dude, I like you’ and then I said ‘I like you too.’ And then he was like ‘Cool, so you don’t mind if I add some stuff in the script about you? I was like ‘About me or the character?’ He’s like ‘no, no just some character stuff’. I’m like, ‘yeah no problem,'," he said.

Anthony Mackie then took offense at how the Detroit rapper supposedly googled him and made fun of him as Papa Doc. He continued:

"So before the entire 8 Mile final battle, he googles me and learns about me and all that stuff he basically makes fun of me as Papa Doc. And then I’m like ‘That’s a little personal Mr. Marshall… I grew up in a nice house, my parents were nice to me, why are you making fun of me?'"

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After his role in 8 Mile, Eminem has not returned to the silver screen for any full-fledged roles. He made small cameos in films like The Interview and occasionally appeared on shows like BMF. The Detroit rapper's last studio album, The Death of Slim Shady, was released in July 2024.