Since the year 2000, the word “Stan” has become a part of the lexicon thanks to Eminem’s unforgettable song from his classic album, The Marshall Mathers LP. The term, synonymous with “an extremely or excessively enthusiastic and devoted fan,” was even added to the Oxford dictionary and its iconic video was parodied by SNL’s Pete Davidson with a cameo from Em himself.
Directed by Phillip Atwell and Dr. Dre, an MTV News article revealed the duo was going for a “Thriller”-like feel.
“I don’t know that I’d compare it to Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’ until I see how it comes out, but that’s what we’re trying to make it. We’re shooting for something of that stature, I guess,” Eminem stated.
The rap god also mentioned that they initially reached out to Home Alone star Macaulay Culkin to star in the video, “but he ended up having prior arrangements, so he couldn’t do it.”
Thanks to Dr. Dre, the role ended up going to actor Devon Sawa, known for his work in films like Casper, Idle Hands, and Final Destination.
In a recent interview with Entertainment Tonight, Sawa spoke about how he was recruited to play Stan.
“[Dr.] Dre, who had just seen Final Destination and was a fan, suggested [me]. There happened to be somebody in the casting office that knew somebody who was friends with me, and they called me that way… and it ended up working out pretty good,” he explained.
Despite the dark subject matter, Sawa described the vibe on set as a party atmosphere with notable figures such as Snoop Dogg, Cypress Hill, and D-12 present.
In the end, Em was impressed with Sawa’s performance in the video.
“Devon is actually perfect for the role now that we’ve watched him do his thing. He fits right into it. We were doing something on camera yesterday, and we were watching a tape back, and it was him, and then it was my take to do the exact same thing, and we couldn’t tell through the camera which one was my take and which was his,” he declared enthusiastically.
Sawa continues to regard the video as iconic and expresses that it remains “one of the proudest accomplishments I’ve been involved in.”
