Machine Gun Kelly has revealed he declined to audition for a role in the hit 2025 film Sinners because the script required him to use a racial slur. The Grammy-nominated artist and actor shared his reasoning during an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show.
“I was supposed to be in that,” Kelly stated, referring to writer-director Ryan Coogler’s critically acclaimed supernatural thriller. “They had me set up to do the audition… In the audition, he has to say the ‘n-word’ and I wouldn’t do it.”
The role in question is believed to be that of Bert, a man who, along with his wife Joan (Lola Kirke), is turned into a vampire by the antagonist Remmick (Jack O’Connell). The part was ultimately played by Peter Dreimanis.
Sinners, which stars Michael B. Jordan as one of two twin World War I veterans battling vampires in 1930s Mississippi, has been a box office success. Since its April premiere, the film has earned over $365 million globally before its recent debut on HBO Max.
Despite passing on the opportunity, Kelly expressed a continued interest in acting. “Hey dude, I’d like to be in cinema while I still look young,” he said. His previous film credits include roles in Nerve (2016), Bird Box (2018), The King of Staten Island (2020), and Project Power (2020), in addition to appearances on television series such as Roadies, Bupkis, and Dave.
