Belly actor Tyrin Turner has admitted that he tried to “sabotage” the movie after director Hype Williams gave his role to DMX.
Turner joined the Dub C & CJ Mac Show, where he recalled his anger and disappointment after he was promised the lead role of Tommy “Buns” Bundy in the 1998 cult film, only for Williams to change his mind and give it to X.
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Turner was instead cast as Big Head Rico, and attempted to bring the film down by delivering an intentionally silly performance. Ironically, his plan backfired as it had the complete opposite effect.
“I met Hype Williams, I did the ‘Mary Jane’ video for Scarface, and then Hype was like, ‘I got this movie called Belly, I want you to be DMX’s character.’ But DMX wasn’t out then, he was just like, that’s what he wanted.
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“A few months later, [Hype] was like, ‘We got this dude named DMX, he the next one from New York — it was a New York movie.’ He say he was gon’ go in that direction. It was cool, but at first I was irritated. I was like, ‘Damn, you said you wanted me.'”
He continued: “I’m young, I’m mad I didn’t get the character I wanted so [I was like], ‘I’m gon’ fuck this movie up. I’ma put on some glasses, I’ma be the worst country snitching dude that I could ever be.'”
“I’m thinking that I’m sabotaging the movie, but I’m thinking I’m irritated. I’m thinking that I’m just gon’ fuck the movie up. It was iconic. I couldn’t even fuck up what I wanted.”
A memorable scene for Tyrin Turner’s Rico character found him sloppily munching on a banana while admitting how he was going to have to “drop a dime.”
“I might have to drop a dime on them n-ggas,” he said. “You know what I’m saying? I don’t like that shit.”
Belly served as the directorial debut of Hype Williams, who had established himself as Hip Hop’s premiere music video director at the time, and starred DMX, Nas, Method Man, Hassan Johnson, TLC’s Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins and more.
Released in theaters on November 4, 1998, the movie tripled its budget, raking in roughly $9 million at the box office on a $3 million budget. A sequel, Belly 2: Millionaire Boyz Club, was released in 2006.
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Belly arrived during a banner year for DMX, during which he became the first living rapper to drop two No. 1 albums in the same calendar year with It’s Dark and Hell is Hot and Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood.
Revisit Tyrin Turner’s “iconic” Belly scene below:
