Mekhi Phifer Reflects on Playing the Love Interest in Brandy and Monica’s ‘The Boy is Mine’

Brandy and Monica took over 1 million viewers down memory lane with their 21 round Verzuz celebration. The virtual event ended with a rendition of their controversial duet, “The Boy is Mine.”

Mekhi Phifer, who starred as the love interest in the 1998 music video, reflected on the iconic video in an interview with Entertainment Weekly.

“I had just moved to California from New York, and I was meeting with the people involved with I Still Know What You Did Last Summer, and Brandy had already been cast in the film as my love interest,” Phifer told the outlet. “We were getting ready to shoot the movie in a few weeks, and in between all that, she was working on the music video for ‘The Boy Is Mine.’ They asked me if I wanted to be the boy in ‘The Boy is Mine,’ and I thought it would be a cool little prequel to the film, so I said, ‘For sure!’ The rest is history.”

Brandy and Monica were two of the young R&B sensations to emerge out of the late ’90s. Unfortunately, their achievements were overshadowed by a behind-the-scenes feud.

“There was little stuff there. I think Brandy and her camp were used to having all the attention on her, in some respects. At this point, Brandy had played Moesha and had hit singles and had already released an album, and Monica was up-and-coming and doing her thing. So, there may have been some tension there, but I didn’t see it there until maybe a little bit later,” said Phifer.

Mekhi Phifer reprised his role in the music video in a funny Apple Music promo. “There was little stuff there. I think Brandy and her camp were used to having all the attention on her, in some respects. At this point, Brandy had played Moesha and had hit singles and had already released an album, and Monica was up-and-coming and doing her thing. So, there may have been some tension there, but I didn’t see it there until maybe a little bit later,” said Phifer.

The actor discussed how the video would’ve ended if it was shot today.

“We’re all older and more mature today, so who knows how it would end?” ” he wondered aloud. “When the video ends, I’m acting coy, so we don’t really know what happens. Did I choose one over the other? Or did they both call me a cheater and say, ‘Get away from me!’ Who knows?”

“Today, I’m happily married, and my wife and I are building for our future,” he said. “You get to a point in life where you can’t run that rat race anymore.”