Devon Sawa, the star of the iconic music video for Eminem's track "Stan," has revealed that the rapper and his team initially wanted a different actor for the project.
"They went out to Macaulay Culkin first," he told Entertainment Tonight. "I think that they wanted him, and he wasn’t available, or didn’t want to do it or whatever."
The video was filmed six years in Culkin's retirement from acting. He didn't return to the screen until 2003.
The video is 'one of the proudest things I’ve been a part of,' Sawa said.
Sawa also revealed why the video's director Dr. Dre requested him as an alternative.
"Dre, who had just seen Final Destination and was a fan, suggested [me]," he said. "There happened to be somebody in the casting office that knew somebody who was friends with me, and they called me that way… It ended up working out pretty good."
Sawa said the video is "one of the proudest things I’ve been a part of," but noted that it wasn't an easy one to film.
"I'll never forget, they told me on the day that I was going to lip-sync it," the actor said.
"I remember, after the first take I did, Dre running in and being like, 'It was good, but can you try it with some rhythm this time?' And I was like, 'Oh my god.' And that was kind of how the day went."
He also recalled several high profile artists being on set: "Dr. Dre was there, D12 was there, I think Snoop was wandering around, Cypress Hill. It was just such a wild three days of filmmaking, it was amazing."
Sawa still knows the words to the iconic track, which has been certified platinum four times over in the U.S.
"If it came on in my car or something like that, I would jam along to it," he said. "I'll tell you one thing, I know it better now than I did that day. Because I've heard it millions of times since."
'Stan' has been certified platinum four times over in the U.S.
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The track was such a cultural phenomenon that the term "stan" is now broadly used as a term for extreme, sometimes overzealous music lovers.
Eminem plans to explore the topic in an upcoming documentary called Stans, which is due out later this year.
The film will be a "revealing, edgy, and disarmingly personal journey into the world of superfandom, told through the lens of one of the world’s most iconic and enduring artists, Eminem, and the fans that worship him," according to a description obtained by Variety.
Eminem is currently working on a documentary about super fans called 'Stans,' which is due out sometime next year.
Eminem's longtime manager and Paul Rosenberg film producer Stuart Parr also provided a statement about the project to the outlet.
"Stans will be the opportunity for us to to turn the camera around and ask the audience about being fans – and in some cases, fanatics," they said.
"This is a study of the relationship between fanbase and artist through the lens of one of Eminem’s most fascinating songs and one of the world’s most important entertainers."
"Stan" was controversial when it first came out. The intense portrayal of a young man struggling with mental illness was hard for some to bear. Others took issue with what they saw as homophobic language in the track.
That's why protestors gathered outside the 2001 Grammys, where Eminem was slated to perform the track live. He was joined by gay icon Elton John for the rendition, which is often included on lists of the most memorable Grammy performances.
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