Fans of rap icon 50 Cent were shocked by the dramatic transformation he underwent for a 2011 movie he both starred in and co-produced.
The “In Da Club” artist, widely recognised for his music, has also carved out a respectable acting career, most notably through his role as Kanan Stark in the Starz crime-drama Power.
Born Curtis Jackson III, 50 Cent skyrocketed to fame with his debut album Get Rich or Die Tryin’ under Eminem’s Shady Records. The Grammy and Emmy-winning artist has since built a hugely successful career, continuously pushing boundaries with his projects, as evidenced by resurfaced photos from one of his earlier films.
In the movie All Things Fall Apart, 50 Cent portrayed Deon, an American football running back with dreams of going pro in the NFL after excelling at the college level. However, his aspirations are derailed when he falls ill with a genetic disease just as he’s about to go professional, forcing him to confront a new reality as his football career is cut short.
Throughout the film, Deon battles cancer and learns to find hope despite his altered future. The late Ray Liotta also appeared in the movie, but the standout aspect was the extreme weight loss 50 Cent underwent for the role, achieved without the use of CGI.
The rapper, now 49, committed to a liquid-only diet and exercised for three hours daily on a treadmill over nine weeks to achieve the required look, drawing comparisons to Christian Bale’s transformation for The Machinist, where Bale lost 63 pounds (28.5 kg).
50 Cent lost a staggering 54 pounds (24.5 kg) in nine weeks for the role, and although this weight loss was slightly less than Bale’s, it was still astonishing. The transformation was so drastic that it’s hard to believe the “21 Questions” rapper is the same person when comparing before and after photos.
Known for his muscular physique, 50 Cent often performs shirtless, famously appearing topless and upside down in the “In Da Club” music video. When photos from the movie set surfaced, rumours circulated that the transformation was a hoax. Jackson quickly dismissed these claims, saying at the time, “I was starving,” while announcing his plans to return to touring after filming.
“I’ve been eating. I’ll be back in shape in no time!” he reassured fans. Before filming the 2011 movie, the hip-hop star also had several tattoos removed to further his serious acting ambitions.
“I took ‘em off. I’ve been on a few acting projects and they been making me get up… My call time is four hours before the regular acting talent because of the tattoos,” he explained.
The effort paid off, as 50 Cent went on to secure roles in films like Southpaw and Den of Thieves, which were major box office successes. Additionally, the critically acclaimed TV series Power (2014-2020) solidified his reputation as a serious actor and earned him widespread respect in the entertainment industry.
