In 8 Mile, Eminem was addressed as Jimmy Smith, however, though the film was inspired by his life, it was not a factual biopic.
Throughout history, a number of films have been made that feature musicians which have since become cult-classic films in the world.
While most of these films are understood to be fictional (think Glitter), there are films which are anchored on their success of being seen as a biopic. One such film is the critically and commercially acclaimed hit from the early 2000s titled 8 Mile.
The Curtis Hanson-directed film, which was loosely based on the life of Marshall Mathers, better known as Eminem, featured the rapper in the role of Jimmy “B- Rabbit” Smith.
This decision was made because the film was based on the rapper’s life, but it was not a factual retelling of his success story.
Did Netflix remove 8 Mile?
There is a common belief that once a film is on Netflix, it will remain on the platform indefinitely.
Especially if the removal of the film is not as a result of changing airing rights as has been the case recently as more networks and studios have diversified to have their standalone paid subscription video-on-demand streaming services.
However, some films on Netflix are removed after a few weeks or months of being available to stream. As such, at the end of May 2022, 8 Mile was one of the films that were removed from the platform’s extensive on-demand library.
8 Mile: Why is Eminem called Jimmy?
In 8 Mile, Marshall Mathers plays Jimmy “B-Rabbit” Smith, which surprised and continues to surprise new watchers of the cult-classic film.
Mathers is believed to have earned his stage name from the initials of his name, M.M. Therefore, it came as a surprise when, in the film, he had a different name and even his stage name in the film was different as it was B-Rabbit.
The reason for the name change is a matter that the rapper-actor and other members of the film have never publicly addressed.
The reason for this is believed to be the fact that during its promotional run, the film was upfront about the fact that the film is a fictional narration of Eminem’s difficult life before he became the person he is today.
As such, the film is not a biopic, and the use of real names would have implied that the film was a factual retelling of his life when this is not the case.
Hence, in the same way that the film established the dichotomy between factual and fictional in the real names of the characters, it did so with their stage names as well.
B-Rabbit earned his stage name from his childhood pet name, Bunny Rabbit, because he had big ears and buck teeth as a child. Additionally, there are other liberties that the film took in terms of Jimmy’s character.
Eminem’s real nickname was Mickey Mouse
While Jimmy earned his nickname because he had big ears and buck teeth as a child, Marshall Mathers also had big ears as a child, but it is reported that Mathers’ nickname in real life was Mickey Mouse, which was later affectionately shortened to be Mouse.
Ironically, Mathers’ nickname could have also been the inspiration for his stage name, as the initials are also M.M.
Eminem never lived in a trailer park
In 8 Mile Jimmy lives in a trailer park with his mother and daughter. Though Marshall Mathers did have a difficult childhood living with his mother who was addicted to drugs, he did not live in a trailer park as is suggested in the film.
It is believed that throughout his difficult childhood, he may have had a few experiences of living in a trailer, but for most of his life, he lived in a small house which he shared on the album cover of his self-titled album, Marshall Mathers 2.
Eminem covered his actual tattoos for 8 Mile
Marshall Mathers has been touted as a method actor because of the process he went through when he was preparing for his role as Jimmy Smith in 8 Mile.
The rapper-actor reportedly first agreed to change his hair colour from his then signature bleach blonde hair colour to a natural brown for the role.
Moreover, in order to distinguish the two personalities as two different characters more clearly, Eminem also covered his real-life tattoos.
The tattoos that Jimmy Smith has in the film were all designed to differentiate character from actor, as well as to serve the purpose of the story.