After taking a lengthy hiatus from Hollywood, Eddie Murphy has returned with his stellar performance in Netflix’s Dolemite Is My Name based on the real-life entertainer, Rudy Ray Moore. Dolemite Is my Name was Murphy’s first R-rated performance since 1999’s Life.
The iconic comedian didn’t simply return to the big screen, he literally dove back into Hollywood. He’s hosted Saturday Night Live, appeared on various late-night shows, has done a slew of interviews, and has gotten candid about why he retreated from the spotlight to focus on his family.
Prior to and following the death of his older brother, Charlie Murphy, the Dr. Dolittle star has spoken openly about his experiences in Hollywood including burnout and the worst advice he has ever received from a fellow comedian.
Eddie Murphy is excited for this new phase in his career
With everything from Shrek to Delirious under his belt, there isn’t much Murphy hasn’t tackled in Hollywood. As a tribute to his late brother, he couldn’t be more proud of how Dolemite turned out.
“Dolemite made it the perfect time ’cause we got a funny movie,” he explained to Entertainment Weekly. “It’s great to be in a movie that works and that’s funny. That’s the only reason why I’m making movies. This is a well-made movie and it’s f*cking funny—and that’s a good feeling.”
Murphy is also returning to one of his beloved characters this year, with Coming to America 2. “I couldn’t be happier with how it turned out,” Murphy explained to Ellen DeGeneres. “We’ve gone above and beyond what anybody would think; I’m really really happy with it. That movie more than any picture that I’ve done … I don’t know what it is in the culture. A lot of people had this expectation … people would say to me when they found out I was doing it, ‘don’t f*ck that movie up.’”
This is when Eddie Murphy realized he was still funny
Being a comedy legend comes with a great deal of responsibility, especially when you’ve been off the stage for as long as Murphy has. However, there was one moment while filming the Netflix movie when Murphy realized he was still as talented as ever. “When I first got up on the mic for Dolemite,” Murphy told EW. “There were a couple scenes with an audience and I was improvising. They were laughing and I had flickers of ‘Oh yeah, I remember that sound.”
Hearing that laughter made Murphy feel right at home. “I’m still me,” he emphasized. “I know I’m still funny.”
Rodney Dangerfield gave Eddie Murphy the worst comedy advice
In a recent interview with W magazine, Murphy remembered being 17 or 18 years old and playing comedy clubs in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. He described his younger self as being, “full of himself.” He remembered, “Back then I was really dirty and did … edgy racial stuff. And it’s 1980, so it’s like this kid on stage doing edgy racial stuff.”
After one of his sets, Rodney Dangerfield pulled him aside a basically told him he was doing too much. “‘Hey, kid,’” Murphy recalled Dangerfield saying. “‘I don’t know where you’re going to go with that, ya know, the language and the race stuff.’”
Though Murphy’s feelings were hurt by the critique, it did not deter him or his career.
Source: Read Full Article