Clifford “Method Man” Smith is covering Cassius Life and while he’s not shedding his shirt for the ladies, he’s shedding light on his transition from rapper to actor.
Source: J.D. Barnes / @jdthecombo
Meth’s cover story comes during the 50-year anniversary of Hip-Hop and is a prime example of how much the genre has grown. Considering that he has such a storied career, many forget Meth’s early acting days in Cop Land, 187 and Belly, which are both mentioned by the publication.
While detailing his acting career, Meth tells Alvin “Aqua” Blanco about going from lyricist to actor and admits that in his early years, he purposely chose roles that weren’t challenging.
“In the beginning I have to admit I only took roles that, ya know, were me, there wasn’t any acting involved whatsoever,” says Method Man. “I was very green, and you can tell now it’s apples and oranges to where I am now.
Source: J.D. Barnes / @jdthecombo
Luckily, he had a change of heart and decided to put more effort into his craft.
“I decided to take it serious when I saw exactly what these actors go through just to get a part and to survive on a daily basis,” said Method Man. “For me, that is motivation enough to go through every step that I have to go through in order to give my best performance. And not just my best performance but my 110% effort to make sure that I’m not the weakest link on this set. ‘Cause there are people that show up hours before I do to make sure everything runs smoothly. Who am I to come unprepared?”
When it comes to his future in acting, the sky is the limit and Meth knows this. He tells Blanco that he credits Marvel’s X-Men comics for not only acting inspiration but also life inspiration that helped mold his moral compass. He also reveals that he has a copy of Wolverine’s first comic book appearance “locked up somewhere” in his home.
“The code of Bushido, honor,” said Method Man to Blanco. “As I got older I seen that—I didn’t understand it then, but I understand it now—but it was an internal fight for him always questioning whether he was more man or animal and how much he would give into his base instinct, violence. So yeah, a lot of that now I take in stride. It was a template for my way of life so to speak.”
“I love being creative. But as far as the acting goes, Hip-Hop has nothing to do with my acting.”
Source: J.D. Barnes / @jdthecombo
Mr. Smith is also hoping Kevin Feige and the team at Marvel have seen the hints he’s dropped about wanting to join the MCU. In his Cassius cover story, he gives Marvel casting their kudos, especially casting agent Sarah Finn while noting that he’d love an opportunity to portray the X-Men character Bishop.
“I was just putting it out there to see if I could hook something,” admited Meth. “Those guys at the MCU, they know their stuff. I haven’t had any problems with any of their casting choice so far. So whoever gets the job… I think Omar Sy did an excellent job as Bishop, but that was before MCU. If they chose him again, I think he’d kill it. There’s a few people out there. But if they’re willing to give me a shot, I’d go for it. Plus, I’ve done all the research already.”
Source: J.D. Barnes / @jdthecombo
Elsewhere in the interview when the topic is broached about artist falling off of their game and reinvention, Meth offers a candid perspective.
“I can’t speak to their stories or why they’re in the predicaments that they’re in, but I do know some of the pitfalls that come with the industry,” Meth said about his peers who came into the game with him but are no longer on the board to Cassius.
“A lot of them are self-inflicted by the artist themselves. There’s nothing like getting an ego-stroked man, but it becomes very addictive and when [it] isn’t up to par with your standards, you tend to slide into seclusion to the point where you become a recluse.
When you start valuing other people’s opinion of you more than your own opinion of yourself, that’s when you have a problem. And for me it became me basically not valuing what people said about me but what I said about myself. Not valuing what people thought about me but what I thought about myself. And it’s definitely working. The fact that I’m still here is a testament to my work ethic, and people f**ks with me heavy, for real.”
You can read the full Cassius cover story here.
