50 Cent’s transformation was for a 2011 film
50 Cent had to follow a gruelling routine in order to complete a huge transformation for a movie.
Released in 2011, All Things Fall Apart saw the rapper – real name Curtis Jackson – play the lead role of Deon, a college football player whose career dreams are shattered after learning he has a rare genetic condition.
The film is said to be based off of a childhood friend of 50 Cent, who tragically died of cancer.
Deon then spends the rest of the movie learning to adjust to life with cancer while also trying to accept his new future.
Watch the trailer for All Things Fall Apart below:
The film may have received mixed reviews upon release, sitting with an overall score of 58 percent on review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes, however fans were left stunned by the star’s unrecognisable body transformation.
In order to get into character, 50 Cent made sure to fully commit to the part in bringing Deon to life.
Over the process of filming All Things Fall Apart, the rapper would lose 54 lbs (24.5kg) in just nine weeks.
In order to drop from 214 pounds to 160, the 49-year-old went on a strict liquid diet and spent three hours a day running on a treadmill.
The role left 50 Cent looking unrecognisable. (X/@50Cent)
However, this isn’t the first time 50 Cent has undergone a liquid diet, with the rapper revealing that his weight previously went to 157 during recovery after being shot in the jaw in 2000.
Comparing the two experiences, Jackson said in an interview with Associated Press: “This time it was a lot tougher for me.”
He continued: “I had to discipline myself not … to actually have myself be in the physical state to convey the energy I felt. It’s a passion project for me.”
The ‘Many Men’ hitmaker isn’t the only actor to have put their body through such an extreme transformation for his work, with Christian Bale losing 63lbs (28.5kg) for his role in The Machinist.
In fact, 50 Cent even used Bale’s weight loss experience, as well as stories from actors such as Tom Hanks, Robert De Niro and Renée Zellweger, as inspiration to stay motivated.
50 Cent told fans he’d be ‘back in shape in no time’. (Paras Griffin/Getty Images)
“I actually got on the computer when it started getting difficult,” he recalled.
“I was looking to see what their experience was like and I got a chance to see all of the interviews they had at different time periods when they were doing promotion for the projects.”
After filming finished, 50 Cent told fans he’d be ‘back in shape in no time’ and ready to go on tour.
While his work in All Things Fall Apart may have not won him any awards, his dedication to the role certainly didn’t hurt his work as an actor.
50 Cent has since gone on to star in Southpaw alongside Jake Gyllenhaal as well as featuring in the Power TV series.
Featured Image Credit: Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images/X/@50Cent
