T.I. ‘Had To Straighten Up’ On The Set Of ‘ATL’ Or Risk Losing The Role

T.I. is opening up about the ups and downs of his acting debut in the 2004 cult-classic film "ATL" and how he almost got fired.

T.I. is opening up about the ups and downs of his acting debut in the 2004 cult-classic film ATL and how he almost got fired.

The rapper/actor recently sat down with Brian “B High” Hightower on his “B High TV” radio show and recalled the time he “almost got fired from ATL.” According to T.I., the movie was filmed at a time in his career when his ego was high, and his care for his budding acting career was low.

The “Whatever You Like” rapper was arriving to set late and bringing down the morale of the cast. It wasn’t until he arrived late one day with marijuana smoke blowing out of his car that he was confronted by the film’s director, Chris Robinson, and producer, Charlie Mack, about his behavior.

“The third day, they came to fire me and I didn’t care,” T.I. revealed in a clip captured by The Neighborhood Talk.

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The rapper was at the height of his career and had just received multimillion-dollar payouts totaling $5 and $10 million, leaving him unbothered by the $85,000 he was being paid to film “ATL.”

“I got all this money, and I got to go to work,” T.I. said, explaining his mindset at the time.

After pulling up late to set with “weed blowing out the Phantom,” Robinson and Mack pulled T.I. to the side for a heart-to-heart. During the talk, T.I. realized the “leadership” he had on set as the lead actor in the film. However, his initial response to being fired was just “OK.”

“Naw, not OK,” T.I. recalled Robinson telling him. “I’m a first-time movie director as a Black man, you a first-time actor as a Black man. You got a whole cast full of full-time actors and people looking for this opportunity. You can’t just shrug your shoulders and say ‘OK.'”

Listening to Robinson and Mack, T.I. recognized his power and the opportunity he could bring the rising actors working on the film with him.

“I felt responsible at that point. I had to straighten up. And that’s what made me care about the movie,” T.I. said.

In 2021, Robinson released a teaser trailer for “ATL 2: Homecoming.” The sequel sees the return of originals from the first film, including T.I., Lauren London, Evan Ross, Jason Weaver, Albert Daniels, Khadijah Haqq, Malika Haqq, and Big Boi.