MGK reveals refusing to say racial slur cost him movie role, ‘I wouldn’t do it’

MGK said he turned down a part in Ryan Coogler’s vampire film 'Sinners; over a script requirement he was not comfortable with.

Machine Gun Kelly is opening up about why he turned down a part in a major film and it all came down to one controversial word.

MGK missed out on a major film role because he refused to say the N-word for the audition. (instagram/@machinegunkelly)

During an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show on Thursday, the rapper and actor, 35, claimed he lost out on a part in Ryan Coogler’s Sinners after refusing to say the N-word during his audition. “I mean, there’s … been plenty of movies that come out that I’m like, ‘Ah, I was supposed to be in that,’” MGK said. “‘Oh, I did auditions for that.’ Like Sinners, I was supposed to be in that.”

‘I wouldn’t do it’

The Rap Devil singer explained that he had auditioned for the role of Bert, a man who - alongside his wife - is turned into a vampire by a mysterious intruder played by Jack O’Connell. But the audition came with a line that MGK wasn’t willing to deliver. “In the audition, he has to say the ‘n-word’ and I wouldn’t do it,” MGK said.

The role ultimately went to Canadian musician and actor Peter Dreimanis. The vampire thriller, directed by Black Panther filmmaker Ryan Coogler, has been a recent box office hit.

Despite the missed opportunity, MGK expressed his ongoing interest in acting. “Hey, dude. I’d like to be in cinema while I still look young,” he said during the interview. “I would really like to be recruited into a movie while I still got some looks.” While he admitted that his efforts to break into Hollywood “just hasn’t panned out that way,” he’s still hopeful. “I’m on universal timing, though, so we’ll see.”

MGK - real name Colson Baker - has previously appeared in several films, including Midnight in the Switchgrass (2021), Bird Box (2018), The Dirt (2019), and Project Power (2020). He met actress Megan Fox while filming Midnight in the Switchgrass, and the two were in a high-profile relationship until their split earlier this year.

Warner Bros. Discovery, which produced Sinners, has not publicly commented on MGK’s claims.