Mekhi Phifer: The Hustler

He could've become a multi-platinum rapper, but instead Mekhi Phifer chose to get his bona fides as an actor with such choice projects as 8 Mile, O, a regular gig on "ER," and his latest, Dawn of the Dead. Gettin' down with luscious leading ladies like Beyonce and Jessica Alba is just a bonus.

_________________________________________

"IT WAS MISCONSTRUED AS ARROGANCE IN THE BEGINNING," explains Mekhi Phifer in that smooth, husky voice that's magnetized moviegoers in films like 8 Mile and O. "He came in confident and never let anybody tell him what to do. You never know what he's going to say. He has a history, a past--he comes from a certain environment. He's always going to be about his business. He's gonna talk slick, and he loves the ladies."

Phifer's talking about Greg Pratt, the cocky-but-good-hearted, from-the-streets doctor he's been playing on NBC's drama powerhouse ER for two seasons now. But Phifer, 28, who grew up across the street from housing projects in Harlem, could just as well be talking about himself.

At 19, without any acting experience, Phifer walked into an open audition for the lead role in Spike Lee's gritty 1995 crime tale Clockers armed only with an impromptu headshot from a nearby Woolworth's photo booth. He beat out thousands and held his own in the film against a fearsome Harvey Keitel. And acting wasn't even on Phifer's radar--at the time, he was working construction, preparing to study electrical engineering in college and cultivating a nascent rap career.

But Clockers changed all that. Soon Phifer was working Hollywood hard--like he's worked everything else in his life--scoring roles in risky, well-received projects like MTV's Carmen: A Hip-Hopera with Beyoncé Knowles and O, a controversial, private-school-set contemporization of Othello. When along came 8 Mile, Eminem's mostly autobiographical tale of his trailer-home Detroit upbringing, Phifer's combination of sly charisma and drawn-from-experience toughness made him the obvious choice to play Eminem's best bud; Phifer even wrote all of his character's rhymes in the film.

In between shifts on ER, Phifer's managed to knock out another two big-screen stints, in this month's remake of George A. Romero's zombie fright classic Dawn of the Dead and in the forthcoming, twisty indie noir Slow Burn with Ray Liotta and Enterprise's slinky Vulcan Jolene Blalock. But Phifer, who's also started his own production company, refuses to get caught up in any Hollywood nonsense. "I like to dress really clean and easy," he says, lounging around comfortably in sweatpants and a "wifebeater" in one of the swank-but-tiny rooms at trendy Beverly Hills boutique hotel Maison 140. "I'm not really a big jewelry person. I invest my money in real estate, things like that."

Oh, and the ladies? No sweat.

ANDRE CHAUTARD: You've gotten down onscreen with Beyoncé Knowles, Jessica Alba, Julia Stiles, Joy Bryant. Do you ever get flustered?

MEKHI PHIFER: Naw, I never get nervous doing love scenes. Never. It's a woman, you know! [Laughs]

Q: And you probably have a love scene with Jolene Blalock in Slow Burn?

A: Yeah. We have a few, actually.

Q: Are they sexy to film? Most actors moan about how it's so technical and choreographed.

A: It can be sexy. I'm very respectful and professional, and I make the other person feel comfortable. But between the time that they yell "action" and "cut," it can be a very intimate moment.

Pages: 1 2 3