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Eminem
8 Mile (2002)REAL NAME Marshall Mathers
RAP PERSONA Trickster and loose cannon, who's alternately amused and tormented by his own fame
SCREEN CHARACTER Jimmy ''Rabbit'' Smith, a Detroit factory worker who sees rap as his ticket out of his dead-end existence
WHY HE'S GREAT Sure, the character is autobiographical, but Eminem makes palpable Jimmy's insecurity and desperation, his yearning to find his voice (as during a lunchtime rap confrontation with a rival, played by Xzibit, at right), and his exhilaration when he finally cuts loose on stage. It helps that he's crafted an Oscar-winning anthem for his character, the urgent ''Lose Yourself.''
EW MOVIE GRADE A- (Read the review)
IF YOU LIKE THIS Eminem's only other screen acting credit to date is a walk-on in the hip-hop comedy The Wash.
