In ‘8 Mile,’ he doesn’t miss a beat

In “8 Mile,” the custom-made vehicle for the acting debut of rapper Eminem, the story works hard to communicate the gritty Detroit roots of his multi-platinum-selling hip-hop pain. For his main supporting actor, Mekhi Phifer, the connections among the streets, hip-hop and the actor’s life were an easy reach.

Phifer, 27, grew up rapping and living the hip-hop life in the vibrant streets of Harlem. In the Curtis Hanson-directed film, he plays Future, the best friend of Eminem’s character, Jimmy, in the Three One Third rap crew. For Eminem -- a.k.a. Marshall Mathers -- the role of Jimmy presented a serious challenge: He had to bring his significant presence to a whole new medium.

For Phifer, this transition from streets to beats to film leads came years earlier. At the age of 19, Phifer had never acted before when his cousin dragged him to an open casting call for Spike Lee’s film “Clockers.”

Lacking a publicity photo of himself, Phifer popped into a Woolworth’s photo booth and brought a photo with him to the audition. He beat out more than 1,000 actors to land a lead role, and his performance in the 1995 film was impressive enough to launch a successful acting career that has seen him star in 21 films, including “O” and “Impostor” and add the role of Dr. Gregory Pratt on “ER” this season.

The intense rehearsal process for “8 Mile” fostered a tight camaraderie among the cast that mirrored the bond shared within the rival crews of rappers that are the film’s focus.

“We went to the malls, we went to the football games, we went to the rap battles, we went out to the clubs and spent time with each other and became friends,” Phifer says. “All the experiences that we’ve had together have been great and life-altering for all of us.”

His co-stars say Phifer’s attitude was a major catalyst for the sense of purpose in work and play that emerged on set and off during filming.

“Always if you did something good, he came up and slapped you on the back,” says Eugene Byrd, who plays Wink in “8 Mile.” “He got excited about the process, about us getting together and having fun.”

The cast remains close-knit and still hangs tight, months after the film wrapped -- when their schedules permit, that is.

“Omar Miller [who plays the character of Sol George] moved around the corner from me out here in L.A.,” says Malik Barnhardt, who plays Moochie in “8 Mile” and has had roles alongside Phifer in “Brian’s Song” and the MTV hip-hopera “Carmen.” “We’re friends for life from this movie. We’re constantly talking about the next movie when we can all come together.”

Uniting people with his goodwill and positive attitude is nothing new for Phifer. Since his improbable rise to stardom in “Clockers,” Phifer has made a point of giving outsiders a chance in the film industry and building both his business affairs and posse of friends on the basis of these relationships.

Phifer founded his production company Ki-Kel Entertainment with Kelly Hilaire, whom he met on a video shoot in 1996. He also met Barnhardt, who was supposed to be an extra on the shoot that day, hired him as a production assistant, and then helped him launch his acting career. Phifer’s partner in his Internet business mekhi.net is Sly Phifer, his cousin who brought him to the “Clockers” audition.

“I got a couple people hired on films as PAs and things like that,” Phifer says. “I’m not here to save the world. Another guy that tried to do that, his name is Jesus, and look at what happened to him.”

But no matter how far he soars beyond the “8 Mile” situation he faced growing up in Harlem, like Eminem’s character Jimmy he tries to stay true to his roots and use his positive attitude to elevate himself and his friends.

“I’m definitely from a ghetto situation, but it has a lot of culture, a lot of energy, a lot of raw talent,” Phifer says.

“There’s no tricks, there’s no gimmicks, there’s no money, there’s no pyrotechnics, and that’s what I love about being where I’m from. You learn to just keep it real and go with what you know.”

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Mekhi on screen

“Honey”: (2003) Phifer is the romantic interest of an inner-city music video choreographer.

“ER”: (current) As Dr. Gregory Pratt, Phifer plays a cocky intern who irks his colleagues.

“Brian’s Song”: (2001) Phifer plays Gale Sayers in the remake of this TV movie classic.

“O”: (2001) Phifer updates Othello as Odin James, an inner-city basketball star who invokes the murderous rage of one of his teammates.

“Carmen: A Hip-Hopera”: (2001) In this hip-hop remake of Bizet’s Carmen, Phifer drops rhymes in the role of a young police cadet.

“Clockers”: (1995) In his acting debut, Phifer plays the inner-city drug dealer Ronald “Strike” Dunham.