Major spoilers for BMF episode 1 follow.
The first episode of 50 Cent and Randy Huggins' latest show BMF aired on Starz last night (September 26). BMF is inspired by the story of brothers Demetrius 'Big Meech' Flenory and Terry 'Southwest T' Flenory who formed the most prominent drug trafficking organisation in the US, known as 'Black Mafia Family'.
The first episode ends with the gruesome shooting of Terry by an unknown assailant, as he stands by his car.
Digital Spy exclusively spoke to actor Russell Hornsby, who plays Terry and Demetrius' father Charles Flenory on the show, to unpack that brutal ending and how it felt to film such an honest moment.
Related: Who are the 'Black Mafia Family' on the show BMF
"I think that's the beauty of the show, it's like they put it right in your face," he said. "And again, I don't say this flippantly, but they force you to feel, they force you to feel something, but you're going to feel right. And I think that's the beauty of this show and I think that's what sets it apart from all the other shows.
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"This isn't something that's just about glamour, about all the fresh outfits and the haircuts and everything like that. This isn't a veneer of style and everything like that. No, no, no, no, no, we go beneath the epidermis layer of truth."
Describing the emotional scene Hornsby said: "That moment at the end, that's the aspect of the heart that it displays, and then what comes in the heart that you can expect after that, and the emotion that these characters, that these people had to carry and had to live with. That's something that you don't oftentimes get in a lot of television and I think especially in Black television to be honest with you, is the immense amount of heart and passion."
Related: BMF star Russell Hornsby reacts to the show's "bad motherf**ker"
When asked about the family dynamics between brothers Meech and Terry, The Hate U Give actor explained how they'll reach a "crossroads".
"What we end up seeing is we see the four of them – when we talk about the two boys, the mother and the father – we see them at a crossroads where they will have to make a decision as to who's needs this day they will serve. And as the saying goes, you can't be a Servant of Two Masters.
"I think the interesting thing is not just the decisions they make, but what the fallout is in the decision. And so it's not what happens, but how it happens and that's the story we're telling."
BMF airs on Starz in the US and streams on Starzplay, available through Amazon Prime Video, in the UK.
Photo Director, Hearst UK
Shyvonne Thomas is Digital Spy's Photo Director, looking after Digital Spy's and Hearst's digital brand visuals across the board. She also writes and conducts interviews specialising in the Power shows, anything Beyoncé, family days out, as well as championing content across Black TV shows and movies.
Having started her career as Shopping Assistant for Mother & Baby and Pregnancy and Birth magazines in 2010, Shyvonne moved on to become Picture Assistant at heat magazine in 2012, before joining the Daily Star, Express and OK! websites as Galleries Editor in 2014.
Shyvonne is an NCTJ-accredited journalist and studied an honours degree in Journalism. In 2021, Shyvonne was shortlisted for the PPA Unsung Hero Award. Shyvonne is also a proud mum.
