American rapper Machine Gun Kelly has revealed that he was nearly cast in Ryan Coogler’s hit film Sinners, but ultimately missed out on the role because he refused to say the N-word during his audition.
Speaking on Thursday’s episode of The Pat McAfee Show, the artist—whose real name is Colson Baker—said the decision cost him the part, but he stood by his choice.
“I mean, there’s … been plenty of movies that come out that I’m like, ‘Ah, I was supposed to be in that.’ Or, ‘Oh, I did auditions for that.’ Like Sinners, I was supposed to be in that,” he said. “In the audition, he has to say the ‘n-word’ and I wouldn’t do it.”
MGK had auditioned for the role of Bert, a married man who, along with his wife, played by Lola Kirke, becomes a vampire after unknowingly letting a dangerous vampire named Remmick—portrayed by Jack O’Connell—into their home. The role ultimately went to Peter Dreimanis.
Recalling the scene, the rapper said, “The vampire — they had me set up to do the audition — it’s the one that’s in the house, so he’s the second vampire, the one that the guy comes and eats the family.”
Warner Bros. Discovery, the studio behind the production, has yet to respond to requests for comment regarding MGK’s claims.
Despite the setback, the rapper expressed ongoing interest in pursuing film roles. Speaking directly to the camera during the interview, he said, “Hey, dude. I’d like to be in cinema while I still look young.”
“I would really like to be recruited into a movie while I still got some looks,” he added, acknowledging that while he has “a lot of aspirations to be in movies,” his ambitions “just hasn’t panned out that way.”
Machine Gun Kelly, 35, has previously appeared in several films, including Bird Box, The Dirt, and Project Power. He also starred alongside his ex-girlfriend Megan Fox in the 2021 thriller Midnight in the Switchgrass, a project that reportedly sparked their relationship.
Still optimistic about his acting career, MGK said, “I’m on universal timing, though, so we’ll see."