"I need something on you" – Anthony Mackie recalls Eminem using his personal life to diss him in 8 Mile

Anthony Mackie appeared on The Pivot Podcast on 11 March to discuss his life, career, and journey in Hollywood. During the conversation, he also shared a throwback memory from his debut movie "8 Mile", starring Eminem.

According to the "Captain America" actor, before shooting the final rap battle scene, the "Mockingbird" rapper approached him and asked him about his life.

"Yo, it don't make sense that we beefing.' I was like, 'Right?' He was like, 'I need something on you.' So, we're talking. We talked for, like, two hours, chilling. I'm like, 'All right, man, I'll see you later."

Back in 2021, when Anthony Mackie appeared on the Rich Eisen Show, he shared a different account of the incident. In the interview, he says:

"There was this one day, we were sitting on the set and Eminem comes over and he’s like ‘what’s up man?’ He was like, 'I was reading the script, and I was kinda thinking, there's no reason for me not to like you. You're a cool dude, I like you.' I was like, 'I like you too.' He was like, 'Cool, so you don't mind if I add some stuff in the script about you?'

In this version of the story, Mackie assumed that Eminem was referring to adding more details about the character, rather than himself, so he agreed:

"So, he goes and his entire battle, the final rap. He Googles me and learns about me and all this stuff. He basically makes fun of me as Papa Doc. I'm like, 'Well that's a little too personal there, Mr. Marshall! ... I grew up in a nice house, my parents were nice to me, why are you making fun of me?"

More details explored as Anthony Mackie gives new details of his interaction with Eminem

In the movie, Eminem played the role of Jimmy Smith Jr., aka "B-Rabbit" with Anthony Mackie portraying Clarence "Papa Doc". The film features both of these characters engaging in an intense rap battle.

Mackie recounts detailing his life experiences to Eminem, with both of them engaging in a long chat. However, when the "Elevation" actor went to shoot the epic rap battle scene, he realized that Eminem had written the lyrics based on his life rather than the character of Clarence.

During the podcast, Anthony Mackie recounted:

"I'm standing there like, 'You are talking about me, you are not talking about Clarence'. This has nothing to do with the character." he says, before jokingly adding "You are an asshole Eminem. I'm like, yes, I'm gonna fight this motherf**ker."

Although Cranbrook Private School, the institution that Clarence attended in 8 Mile, does not exist, Anthony Mackie did indeed attend a private school. He attended Juilliard, one of the top private art Institutions in the country, where he majored in Drama, graduating in 2001.

Back in 2021, during his appearance on the Hot Ones, Anthony Mackie credited the school for shaping him as an actor, and giving him the opportunity to study Shakespeare in depth.

"I find myself very lucky to have studied Shakespeare. The idea of approaching a rapper from the perspective of an actor, you're really just speaking in poems. I always said, one of the greatest rappers [who] ever lived was Shakespeare."

He further added:

"If I didn't have my training, I wouldn't be able to play Tupac, Martin Luther King, Papa Doc, Falcon. The training is just something that gives you an extra layer to stand on."

While Mackie has shared two versions of the 8 Mile story, both follow a similar narrative. However, it remains unclear which retelling is the most accurate.