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(Photo by AP)

NEW YORK (AP) — Grammy-winning artist Che “Rhymefest” Smith didn’t have plans to become an actor, but that changed when Emilio Estevez’s mom saw the songwriter’s documentary about reconnecting with his long-lost father, who had been homeless for decades.

Estevez’s mom watched Rhymefest’s 2015 doc “In My Father’s House” around the time her son was working on “The Public,” a film about homeless people who refuse to leave a Cincinnati public library during a brutal winter night.

Rhymefest says Estevez’s mom said to her son, “This young guy from Chicago has to be in your movie.” Estevez then offered Rhymefest the role of a homeless man in the film, which hits U.S. theaters Friday.

Estevez directed, wrote and stars in “The Public,” also featuring Alec Baldwin, Christian Slater, Jeffrey Wright, Gabrielle Union, Michael K. Williams and Taylor Schilling.

Singers & Rappers Turned Actors
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