The Game Exclusive Interview...

[Ivy]

He's been in the limelight for only a short while, but Game's already enjoying the perks of having successful rap career. With a platinum plus album under his belt and highly-anticipated album on the way, everything seems to be going his way. And to expand his resume, he has now added acting, via his big screen debut "Waist Deep."

With the new film -- that stars Tyrese and Larenz Tate -- on its way to theaters this week, the Compton rapper sat down with BallerStatus.net to give some insight about his first stab at being an actor, what he brought to his villain character Big Meat and his favorite scene of movie.

Although he's a superstar in the hip-hop world, Game explained that he took his small role very seriously and does not see the acting field an easy one. In fact, he said it was a lot more difficult than music. And that if it wasn't for the guidance Tyrese, Larenz and director Vondie Curtis gave him, it may have been a hard task for him to endure. Read on, as Game speaks on his first acting experience.

BallerStatus.net: Tyrese and the other actors have said that you were really open and critical of your acting, and you were like, "I know it all." How important was that to tap into the experience that was available to you?

Game: I think it was real important, especially to me because I didn't know sh-- about acting. I had to come humble and ask for help 'cause really I never had an acting coach or took any acting lessons. I was cast for the part by open phone and I came in not knowing what the hell to do. So, I reached out to Vondie [Curtis-Hall], Tyrese and Larenz Tate...and Vondie mentored me. And Larenz and Tyrese, they played big brothers in my trailer everyday at 4 a.m., going over lines and teaching me the know how. At the end of the day, I turned out to be baby Denzel.

BallerStatus.net: Larenz said that you really had good instincts, as far as making decisions on how to make the character more laid back -- specially the thing about how you suggested that [Big Meat] be eating ice cream during one scene. So, there was a lot that you learned from them, but you had a lot of ideas yourself...

Game: Yea, I got that from just watching movies. You know when you watching a movie when something is corny, and that just wouldn't happen in real life. So, I wanted to keep my character in the movie as real as possible, especially with him being a gangster villain role. And me being gangster rapper from Compton/ex-gangbanger, I still wanted to be funny 'cause this first role can make or break me. From the amount of scripts that I received since we wrapped, it must be a good film. I haven't seen anything yet, but I definitely, definitely respect the opportunity and appreciate everything that has happened as far as the movie is concerned.

BallerStatus.net: What I think you just said is real important part because you know the world the movie is trying to portray, and I think you've been there in the audience at other movies and you say, "No, it's not like that." So, how did you bring that reality to the screen? How did you make sure that they did get it right?

Game: I just made sure that nobody was making me look like a fool at no cost. I would've gave back the money and left the set before somebody f---ed me over in Hollywood. I can't afford, my family can't afford and my son can't afford for me not to do my best, and for it not to come off like it's real. There was no tolerance, but it was easy. It wasn't like I had to grill anybody or anything like that. It was family on the set and Vondie, he pretty much let us do and say pretty whatever we wanted. We restructured a lot of the scenes and a lot of things happened different than they did on script. That's just what happens when you're on set with good actors and a great director.

BallerStatus.net: Both in acting and music, getting yourself focused and getting your energy ready for that moment is really important. Is there anything special you do or is it just always there for you?

Game: Nah, I got Garth Brooks in the iPod [laughs]. Nah, I think that at the end of the day, I just think back to that small place that I'm from called Compton. And just remember those cold days when I didn't have those two quarters for that ice cream, and that's enough to get the fire under your ass and get you rolling.

BallerStatus.net: What did you think of the socio-political observations that the film mixed in, where you have the people [saying], "Save our streets, save our streets," but the violence is happening right in front of them and they don't see it?

Game: That's just how it is. I mean, it's not that they don't see it, it's just that they see so much of it that they're immune to it. So, people don't really pay attention. You know when you're from these areas, these ghettos across America -- and we like to say, where I come from we say, "You can't go to sleep without hearing a gun shot" -- that's how it is, you know? Gun shots put you to sleep. They read you your bedtime stories. So, when it happens so much, you don't hear it or see it anymore. That's how it is, how it's always been and how it's always going to be until it stops.

BallerStatus.net: The movie seems -- in those scenes -- to sort of depict how there's a lot of people in the community that are very frustrated with the level of crime and violence, and they are trying to speak out about it. Of course, there's a whole other side of the community that kind of takes the side of the criminals and gangsters -- the no snitching concept and how people see the hustlers as the heroes. What can you say about that kind of divide that's in our black communities?

Game: I think that at the end of the day, it's something that started maybe in the 60's. And the timeline I'd use is the Tookie Williams timeline for you to understand what I'm talking about and all the way to 2006; it's something that's been around for almost 50 years. How do you un-train the minds of the youth when it's been bestowed on the parents and their parents and the parents and parents and parents that dates back 50 years? If you think about that in reality in the realest mind state that you can put yourself in, you're gonna have to be real and tell yourself that it's gonna take another 46 years to reverse that whole situation. But, I'm willing to do it if you are. That's how I look at it.

BallerStatus.net: Speaking about being real. Can you tell the real on Tyrese's album, Alter Ego, where he's gonna be rapping on it? Do you think what he's bringing to the table is something his fans can accept?

Game: The fans, they vary from fan to fan, so I can't speak for the fans. But, I can say that Tyrese is a good friend of mine and he got my support in whatever it is he wants to do. He's been successful on every scale from singing to acting thus far, so what would make anybody think that he couldn't do rap or couldn't go try out for the Clippers if he wanted to? I don't know. He's a pretty successful dude, so I think we just gotta wait and see.

BallerStatus.net: Ok, but did you like what you heard so far?

Game: Yea, I heard some Tyrese sh-- and it's crazy, but that's my opinion. You asked me an opinion based on the masses and I can't speak for everybody.

BallerStatus.net: The film focused on the father/son relationship with Tyrese's character. Was it hard for you or how did it make you feel to be the bad guy in the situation, considering you do have a strong relationship with your own son? And you always portray that by taking him with you everywhere. How did it feel playing the bad guy and having to take a man's son away from him?

Game: It's just a movie. I just jumped into it and did what I had to do. If I had to take his son and cut his neck off in the movie, then I would've had to do that. But, I mean, just being a father and playing the villain in that movie, it was kind of crazy. If somebody was to take my son away in real life, it would definitely, definitely be a lot worse than in the movie. That's how it is and I think it's like that for everything, whether it's the mother of father. People don't f--- around when it come to their kids.

BallerStatus.net: What did you discover about yourself through acting, being that this is a different creative avenue for you to explore? What did you get out of it?

Game: I got another check outside my genre, which is hip-hop music [laughs]. That's pretty much it. At the end of the day, we're all out here working to secure the future of our families financially just like everyone else.

BallerStatus.net: After doing it, do you think you can develop a love for it like you did with music? I know that you had your incident before you dropped your album, and you researched all the N.W.A. albums and listened to a lot of throwback albums...did you start watching old movies to prepare you for the acting role?

Game: Yea, I went back. I done went back to old Denzel movies, then went way back to "Mo' Better Blues" and Samuel L. Jackson and all these cats. And I just found out the other day that Samuel L. Jackson was in "Coming To America" robbing a McDowells, so I be doing my research man. I try to get better. I definitely don't wanna make a mockery of acting and what these people do 'cause it's serious and it's definitely, definitely a lot harder than music. That's what I learned. Actors, they really go hard and there's really a lot of respect coming from me in that aspect. Any roles that I decide to jump in, in the future are definitely gonna be taken very seriously. I hope that one day I can be one of those actors that's getting $5 million - $10 million a flick 'cause that's where it's at. I wouldn't be making no records after that.

BallerStatus.net: You say it's harder than making music, but from a personal standpoint you're really exposing a lot of yourself. As an actor you sort of put on the clothes of the character and be somebody else...

Game: You just said it backwards. In music, you're exposing yourself. You know yourself better than anybody else. So in a sense, it's kind of easy because all you're doing is writing what you know about yourself and your past experiences and things you've seen, been through or things you've witnessed. In acting, you gotta take that off and jump into somebody you don't even know. You only know them from lines on a paper. You gotta become that person. And I think that's the hardest sh-- in the world outside of having to wake your ass up to be there 4 a.m. when you don't have to shoot 'till 2 in the afternoon.

BallerStatus.net: I liked the scene where you took the mashedy to the dude's arm. Looking back at the film now that you've got it in the can, what's your favorite scene?

Game: Yea, that was probably it. That was some crazy, crazy sh--. That was definitely funny. It was crazy. And I was so in character that I felt like I really chop hands off. You can ask anybody that know me, after that it was so hard for me to shake Big Meat. Everybody was calling me Big Meat. The homies was calling me Big Meat, so I started taking on the role. I would be up in Starbucks and was like, "I WANT A MOCHA RIGHT NOW or hands are gonna roll," with my plastic fork in my hand [laughing]. So, it was hard to shake the character. That scene in the movie was definitely crazy and I think it's gonna move a lot of heads in the movie when it jump off.

BallerStatus.net: You're showing a lot of confidence in waiting until this new album is right before it drops. Is it hard to have to wait until the timing is right to release an album?

Game: I think, as a child, I always wanted whatever I do to be 100%. From writing standards to writing raps, it's always been the same. I can't...my heart won't let me finish a song unless it's 100%. I think that's why the last album was 1 - 17 riding through. And this album is gonna be the same way because I just can't put a song on my album just to fill up the space or to make the process of putting out the album quicker. It's gotta be dope and 100% all the way through.

I think another person that's got me in that mode and I look up to is Dr. Dre. That's why he puts out albums every seven years and people are still waiting on his next album and they'll still wait he says he's gonna put it out, even if he never puts it out. That's because everything that he does is to perfection. And Jimmy Iovine always says that "You know, we gotta wait on Dre. He's got the sun, he's got the stars, he's got the moon, but he just wants to make the grass a little bit greener. The grass just ain't green enough." He says that as if Dre was creating the world, but Dre takes his time. Look, it just took Busta Rhymes five years to get his album out on Aftermath, but it's definitely a big album for him because of Dre. Him and Dre took the time on the album as I did on The Documentary, and anything Dre touches turns to gold. You seen that time and time again from Snoop Dogg to Eminem to 50 Cent to myself, and now the rebirth of Busta Rhymes has been big. So, we just gotta make it thorough and at the end of the day you'll be a lot more successful than the one-hit wonders.

[DediCation]

surprised game got called to do that.

[katastrophe]

propz for this

[pawel]

propz, is it an old interview? he's positive about 50