'I was supposed to be in that": MGK reveals the reason behind turning down the auditions for Sinners

Machine Gun Kelly, best known as MGK, has publicly addressed his decision to walk away from a potential role in Sinners, one of 2025’s most acclaimed horror films.

During a recent interview on The Pat McAfee Show on July 31, 2025, when asked whether he was ever approached for a big movie, he mentioned Sinners and cited a particular scene involving an audition that required him to play a vampire in a racially charged storyline set in 1930s Mississippi.

The singer wrote that he received an invitation to audition for the Ryan Coogler-directed film, but did not pursue the opportunity, having been asked to perform a racial slur during an audition scene.

“I mean, there's there's been plenty of movies that come out that I'm like, ‘Ah, I was supposed to be in that.’ Or, ‘Oh, I did auditions for that.’ Like Sinners, I was supposed to be in that."

He added:

“The vampire — they had me set up to do the audition— it’s the one that’s in the house, so he’s the second vampire, the one that the guy comes and eats the family. In the audition, he has to say the ‘n-word’ and I wouldn’t do it.”

GK made it clear that he was not willing to say the N-word, even in a scripted, historically contextualized setting.

The artist remarked that he still would like to have a film career, stating,

“I have a lot of aspirations to be in movies. It just hasn’t panned out that way.” Still optimistic about the possibilities ahead, he said, “I’m on universal timing, so we’ll see.”

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MGK reveals why he turned down an audition for Sinners

In the interview, MGK stated that his audition role was that of a vampire featured in a particularly disturbing segment of Sinners. The plot is set in Mississippi of the 1930s and incorporates supernatural horror and themes centred on racism and historical violence.

The vampire character in question is a member of a white supremacist family, which is actively targeted by one of the main heroes of the film’s central protagonists.

MGK was in discussion to audition as the character Bert, which went to Peter Dreimanis instead. In the plot, Bert and his wife Joan, played by Lola Kirke, fall victim to their alleged vampirism when they unwillingly invite the unknown vampire Remmick (played by Jack O'Connell) to their home.

Bert and Joan are depicted as deeply racist individuals who are confronted by vampiric justice in a sequence laced with symbolic overtones. The scene features dialogue that contains racial slurs, specifically the N-word, claimed to be representative of the character in his white supremacist environment.

Despite eventually turning down the audition, MGK confirmed that he would love to act in movies:

"Hey, dude. I'd like to be in cinema while I still look young," he cheekily said directly to the camera, as McAfee added, "Okay. All right. That was the message to Hollywood."

MGK continued by saying that he would like to be in a film soon and added that he would want to do it when he still believes he has the youthful look suited for the screen.

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About Sinners

Directed by Ryan Coogler and produced by Michael B. Jordan, Sinners is a horror movie set in the 1930s during the period of racial prevalence, economic distress, and strong social conflicts in the state of Mississippi.

The story that follows is of two twin brothers, played by Jordan, who rise against the influences of systemic evil, individual culpability, and vampirism in a society burdened by both literal and metaphorical monsters.

The movie showcases the concepts of generational trauma, vengeance, and the inseparable boundary between justice and corruption through its spooky backdrop and violent aesthetics.

Upon release in early 2025, Sinners was received with widespread critical acclaim and garnered praise on the basis of its ambitious writing and storytelling, historical and genre reinvention. It has grossed more than $365 million across the globe and scored an A rating by CinemaScore.

This accomplishment makes it the first horror movie to achieve that rating in more than 35 years, a significant achievement in terms of audience appreciation of the genre that solidified its reputation as one of 2025's most successful original releases.

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Sinners hit theaters on April 18, 2025, and is now streaming on Max.

Edited by Prem Deshpande