Ready for change. Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson couldn’t say no once he heard the story of Isaac Wright Jr., a man who was sentenced to 70 years plus life for a crime he didn’t commit. While he had no one to defend him, he became a lawyer himself while behind bars, helping other inmates while also trying to return to his own life.
“This was the oddest circumstances,” Jackson, 48, told Us Weekly exclusively about deciding to join For Life as both an executive producer and a star, playing another inmate. The show follows Aaron Wallace (Nicholas Pinnock), the character based on Wright Jr., while Jackson plays someone very different who Aaron meets in prison.
“He’s been incarcerated since he was 16. When he got into the penal system and acted out, he started to develop a reputation. And that reputation became more important to him than getting back to nothing,” the rapper explained. “And then he just learned to comfortably live in that environment, not looking forward to getting out. So it’s the polar opposite of Aaron’s character in the show.”
The Power alum is confident that this show will stand out among other legal dramas due to its subject matter — and prison reform in general, a topic that Kim Kardashian West is also tackling in her own life. She helped to get Alice Johnson out of prison last year and will star in Oxygen’s upcoming docuseries, Kim Kardashian West: The Justice Project, to continue making a difference.
“She’s gonna like this show because of the concept,” Jackson told Us, noting that although she’s married to Kanye West, he’s “been cool” with the “whole squad” and hopes to work together in the future. “I think when she sees this show, she’s probably gonna be like, ‘We should have made that show!’ It might be some kind of way that I can work with talking about her initiative.”
He also opened up to Us about both starring in the show and working behind-the-scenes, something he really enjoyed.
“I like it! That way no one tells me what to do, because I’m executive producing this s–t,” he said with a laugh. “It adds a different dynamic. For the actors, they kind of get more comfortable with me and if something’s wrong, telling me before telling someone else. I can troubleshoot before it turns into a real problem. It’s easier talking to actors than executives because when you tell them, you’re complaining. At that point, someone’s getting in trouble. And it could potentially f–k up their whole career.”
For Life premieres on ABC Tuesday, February 11, at 10 p.m. ET.
