- Title: Eddie Murphy brings Dolemite to the big screen in a new biopic
- Date: 29th September 2019
- Summary: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (SEPTEMBER 28, 2019) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF ACTOR EDDIE MURPHY ON RED CARPET SPEAKING TO REPORTER (SOUNDBITE) (English) ACTOR EDDIE MURPHY SAYING: "Well I didn't - we did have a relationship. He was a very old man, he's not somebody I would be hanging out with. But I met him, I was a fan of his and I went to see him perform a few times. We talked after the show a couple of times, but we didn't have a relationship." VARIOUS OF MURPHY SPEAKING TO REPORTER (SOUNDBITE) (English) ACTOR EDDIE MURPHY SAYING: (ON CASTING TITUSS BURGESS) "I just thought he was funny. You know, you got a good energy and spirit, a good actor. I wanted to have a cast with a bunch of people like that." ACTOR WESLEY SNIPES SPEAKING TO REPORTER (SOUNDBITE) (English) ACTOR WESLEY SNIPES SAYING: (ON COMING TO AMERICA) "I can't tell you a whole lot, but there's some funny stuff. There's gonna be some interesting stuff and Eddie's - a lot of the cast from the original movie is back and there's a whole slew of new actors that are going to be in the film. A who's who of, wow, I can't even name the decades. About three or four decades of incredible talent. Yeah, you have some very interesting things. And for my brothers and sisters on the continent I want to say you must come to see our movie. We have something to say to you. Okay? Okay. So we'll see you later." ACTOR KEEGAN-MICHAEL KEY SPEAKING TO REPORTER (SOUNDBITE) (English) ACTOR KEEGAN-MICHAEL KEY SAYING: (ON HAVING FUN WITH CRAIG ROBINSON BETWEEN TAKES) "He and I decided, because we were already in the wardrobe that we were gonna write our own television show called, I don't even - called Akron - Akron PD. And I'm playing the detective in the Akron Police Department and he was playing my lieutenant. So, we spent the entire time on set when we weren't doing the scenes we were in character for our TV show that we were making up on the scene." VARIOUS OF ACTRESS DA'VINE JOY RANDOLPH SPEAKING TO REPORTER (SOUNDBITE) (English) ACTOR DA'VINE JOY RANDOLPH SAYING: "No, I made it very clear to my reps and my whole team that I was like, do not tell me anything good, bad or indifferent. Because that's not - I think that, I think that murks up the process. Whatever ends up happening of this I'm very honored and grateful for absolutely and for Eddie for putting me in a position to even be recognized for such a thing. But I think if you get caught up in that it can, it can, it can tarnish why you do what you do." ACTOR MIKE EPPS WITH FANS (SOUNDBITE) (English) ACTOR MIKE EPPS SAYING: "It was beautiful. I mean, the fact that we're here to celebrate somebody like Rudy Ray Moore and we got all these iconic actors playing in this movie. Eddie Murphy is coming back, I think this is a great movie for Eddie Murphy to start back his journey again. I was just glad to be a part of it." DIRECTOR CRAIG BREWER SPEAKING TO REPORTER (SOUNDBITE) (English) DIRECTOR CRAIG BREWER SAYING: "I would say the best compliment I received on 'Dolemite is My Name' is when Ben Taylor and Jimmy Lynch, the original people who Craig Robinson and Mike Epps play in the movie, they came to see it. And they, they loved it. They said that Rudy would have loved it. And I think for me and everybody involved in the project we have such love and respect for Rudy Ray Moore and we really wanted to shine a spotlight on him for a whole new generation to love him so he can be immortal. To know that two people that worked so much with him back in the day said that he would have loved it meant the world to me." ACTOR TITUSS BURGESS SPEAKING TO REPORTER SCREENWRITERS SCOTT ALEXANDER (LEFT) AND LARRY KARASZEWSKI SPEAKING TO REPORTER SHOT OF RED CARPET COSTUME DESIGNER RUTH CARTER SPEAKING TO REPORTER (SOUNDBITE) (English) COSTUME DESIGNER RUTH CARTER SAYING: "Dolemite has a very distinct style and we studied his pieces. A lot of the costumes that you see were Rudy Ray Moore replicas. So, you know we just make it up, this was something that was really alive and well for him and his assemble." COSTUME FROM FILM ON DISPLAY FILM MAKER KEENEN IVORY WAYANS SPEAKING TO REPORTER ACTOR JESSE WILLIAMS SPEAKING TO MURPHY ACTOR TRACY MORGAN SPEAKING TO BISHOP DON JUAN ON CARPET ACTOR CRAIG ROBINSON SPEAKING TO REPORTER (SOUNDBITE) (English) ACTOR CRAIG ROBINSON SAYING: "This is surreal. It's a shame you've got to do interviews with me now because all I can think about is that going on."
- Embargoed: 13th October 2019 04:03
- Keywords: Keegan-Michael Key red carpet Craig Robinson comedy Dolemite premiere Mike Epps Netflix bio-pic Da’Vine Joy Randolph actor Wesley Snipes Tituss Burgess Eddie Murphy
- Location: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES / UNKNOWN LOCATIONS
- City: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES / UNKNOWN LOCATIONS
- Country: USA
- Topics: Arts / Culture / Entertainment,Film
- Reuters ID: LVA001AYPMQFH
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Eddie Murphy hit the orange carpet on Saturday (September 28) for the premiere of his new film "Dolemite is My Name" in Los Angeles, California.
The biopic is about late comedian Rudy Ray Moore and the making of his 1975 cult classic Dolemite.
Murphy has been trying to get this film made for nearly a decade and even consulted with Moore about the project.
"I was a fan of his and I went to see him perform a few times. We talked after the show a couple of times."
Murphy, who also serves as producer, assembled an all-star cast that includes Wesley Snipes, Keegan-Michael Key, Craig Robinson and Tituss Burgess who he hand-picked.
"I just thought he was funny. You know, you got a good energy and spirit, a good actor. I wanted to have a cast with a bunch of people like that."
Tony nominated actress Da'vine Joy Randolph's name is already surrounded in award chatter, which she is choosing to ignore at this point.
"I think that murks up the process. Whatever ends up happening of this I'm very honored and grateful for absolutely and for Eddie for putting me in a position to even be recognized for such a thing. But I think if you get caught up in that it can, it can, it can tarnish why you do what you do."
Next up for Murphy is the sequel to his 1988 film "Coming To America," which Snipes also appears and broke into character while talking about the film.
"I can't tell you a whole lot, but there's some funny stuff. There's gonna be some interesting stuff and Eddie's - a lot of the cast from the original movie," said Snipes. "For my brothers and sisters on the continent I want to say you must come to see our movie. We have something to say to you. Okay? Okay. So we'll see you later," he added in an accent.
"Dolemite" will be released in theaters on October 4 and will begin streaming on Netflix on October 25. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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