50Cent

Chiwetel Ejiofor, American Gangster, 2007.      The rapper auditioned for Huey, the brother of the 1970 Manhattan drug kingpin, Frank Lucas. Rob Lawrence Brown, Odd Thomas, 2012.      Change of Shamus Cocobolo in  the life of clairvoyant fry cook Anton Yelchin (his parents forgot to add T for Todd).  With monickers like these, …
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Al Jolson

  Rex Ingram, The Green Pastures, 1935.     First, Warner Bros acually wanted De Lawd to be played, oh, no, by Al Jolson in his blackface. Then, Paul Robeson refused point-blank. Finally, the nearly four-minute trailer was devoid of black faces, just a lot of white film-makers, and a long shot of black extras. …
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Alain Bashung

Cyril Collard, Les nuits fauves, France 1992. The young actor-director, dying of AIDS, offered the role of his likewise hero to various actors (they all refused) before turning to (similarly gutless) singers. So he played it, himself. And died of AIDS just three days before wining four Frernch Academy Cesar awards: Best Film Best First Film, …
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