Acting allows me to be everything I’m not. It’s the biggest escape possible. In music, you become the hit; you become the song you’ve created. It’s like Mary J Blige. Her audience wants her to be in pain. When she’s suffering she becomes more likable to her audience. For me, acting gives me the chance to break out of being me, to explore other parts of myself.

I’m always studying people. The way they say things, their attitude. You could be on the train and doing that. That’s how I learned to act. It’s also how I learned business, by studying what people I admired did, and how they conducted themselves.

I’ve lost the luxury of walking around the mall freely. But at least there’s Amazon

If you’d given me one wish in 2003, it would have been for my first album, Get Rich or Die Tryin’, to be successful. Massively successful – the biggest debut in hip-hop history. And it was. If I knew myself then as well as I do now, I would have asked for more wishes. Some people are happy just winning the Lotto, but I need more than that.

I do read comments about myself [on social media]. They all affect me: the positive and the negative ones. But they say more about the people commenting and where they’re at in their own lives than what they’re actually commenting on.

Eminem will always be my guy. I love him to death [Eminem discovered 50 Cent, and produced his first album]. What he did for me – and maybe me for him, in a way – I can’t quantify. We reach out to each other from time to time. But when he’s on schedule, that guy never leaves the house. He’ll be tucked up at home working on stuff.

I exercise the concept of “whistle while you work”. I’ve got so many projects and businesses on the go that it’s my way of staying grounded. When I’m relaxing there’s always some kind of music, film or television on, but I just consider that research for the next project. I’m always thinking about what’s next, soaking up inspiration.

I can’t watch the news without trying to work out what really happened – what they say, and what the truth is. Sometimes it depresses me, but instead I concentrate on the things in my life that I can affect.

Fame and notoriety is a fair exchange for being able to do the creative things I want to do. I can now buy everything I want to buy in the mall. But I can’t go into the mall to buy it. I’ve lost the luxury of walking around freely. But at least there’s Amazon.

I haven’t heard the mash-up of the Thomas The Tank Engine theme and In Da Club

I haven’t heard the mash-up of the Thomas The Tank Engine theme and In Da Club. People have told me about it though. I’m going to check that out.

Entitlement scares me. People come around and they want things. You could have bought them a car, and they’ll be, like: “You could have bought me a house!’’ And they’ll be angry about it. It’s, like: ‘“You think I’m responsible for you?”

Bankruptcy wasn’t a big deal for me. It was just me getting my discount. Reorganisation isn’t broke, y’know?

Den of Thieves is in UK cinemas now