Since his come up in 2012, the Cleveland-proud Machine Gun Kelly has constantly kept both the music and film world on its toes. Dipping effortlessly into multiple genres (rap to pop punk, for example) and building an acting career as successful as his musical one, the star is a multifaceted creative who refuses to stay confined to just one box.
With the release of his short musical film Downfalls High, a visual accompaniment to his latest album Tickets to My Downfall, we list some of our favourite roles Machine Gun Kelly has played over the years.
1. Tommy Lee in The Dirt
In Netflix’s 2019 biopic The Dirt, focused on the glitz and glam of ‘80s metal band Mötley Crüe, Machine Gun Kelly did a stellar job at portraying drummer Tommy Lee. With his cutthroat attitude and rock and roll persona, it didn’t take a lot for MGK to transform into the iconic legend and he played the role so well that critics believed no one else (maybe not even Lee himself) could do it better. Dedicating himself to months of drum lessons, full body makeup to then draw Lee’s tattoos on instead of the rapper’s own and even jumping on to remix some of the band’s biggest hits, this is undoubtedly one of the best roles MGK has ever played.
2. Nick in Big Time Adolescence
Working with his fellow celeb BFF Pete Davidson, MGK jumped on the coming-of-age Big Time Adolescence to play essentially just a version of himself. Nick, the friend of Davidson’s character Zeke, refuses to grow up and spends his time tattooing his friends, smoking and partying. But MGK’s comedic feature and desirable bond with Davidson wasn’t even the best part of the movie. While on set, the pair filmed a music video for MGK’s track ‘LOCO’, and it’s quickly become a fan favourite as it seems part of Zeke and Nick’s world.
3. Wes in Roadies
In the 2016 short-lived Cameron Crowe TV series Roadies, MGK plays Wes, a former stagehand for Pearl Jam who now works with the fictional rock group The Staton-House Band. The show follows his team of roadies and their family-like relationship, but one episode in particular stands out. Halsey joins the set as herself and her and Wes perform an acoustic version of her track ‘Hold Me Down,’ and it’s definitely a moment that we’re sure sparked her and MGK’s iconic friendship.
4. Newt in Project Power
Not only was the 2020 Netflix film Project Power an honest commentary of our modern world, but it shocked fans to see MGK’s dedicated transformation. With Newt gaining the power of fire from taking the featured pill, the rapper had to undergo hours of makeup to have burns, scars and ash applied to him. MGK is absolutely unrecognisable in this role, making it a definite favourite.
5. Himself in Downfalls High
While technically not acting, MGK’s latest honour of manning his pop punk kingdom is his greatest role yet. Truly finding his groove, the star has stepped away from hip hop for the time being and given his all to a new genre. Tickets to My Downfall is a personal exploration of the man behind the star, and Downfalls High only reflects that more. MGK appears in and out of the musical film as himself, adding elements of emotion that help to truly bring the tracks to life. Written and directed by MGK himself, the short film is the perfect way to close the TTMD era.
SEE ALSO: REVIEW: Machine Gun Kelly Trailblazes With ‘Tickets to My Downfall’
