Machine Gun Kelly reveals he turned down ‘Sinners’ movie over N-word
Machine Gun Kelly turned down a role in Sinners. The Ohio rapper explained that he was required to say the N-word on camera during the audition stages, which he wasn’t prepared to do.
Sinners, the Ryan Coogler-directed movie starring Michael B Jordan as twin brothers, is one of the biggest films of 2025. The horror movie had a budget of $100 million and grossed $365.9 million.
During an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, MGK claimed he was cast in the movie as Bert, a KKK member who was married to Lola Kirke’s character. However, he wasn’t down with the script.
“Like Sinners, I was supposed to be in that,” MGK 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 he eats the family up. In the audition, he has to say the N-word, and I wouldn’t do it.”
In the end, Peter Dreimainis, a member of the alternative rock band July Talk, took on the role of Bert.
MGK has starred in various movies and television series over the years. The rapper/actor appeared in Bird Box, The Dirt, The King of Staten Island, and Jackass Forever, before making his directorial debut in 2022 with the stoner comedy, Good Mourning. He also had a lead role in Cameron Crowe’s Roadies show.
“I have a lot of aspirations to be in movies, it just hasn’t panned out that way,” he told Pat McAfee. “But I’m on universal timing. It’ll align. The angels will put something in the works. There’s been plenty of movies that come out that I was like, ‘Ah, I was supposed to be in that’, or, ‘I did auditions for that.’”