Charmed lives and comebacks: Eddie Murphy returns in 'Dolemite Is My Name'

Record ID: 1435036

  • Title: Charmed lives and comebacks: Eddie Murphy returns in 'Dolemite Is My Name'
  • Date: 4th October 2019
  • Summary: BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (SEPTEMBER 28, 2019) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF ACTOR EDDIE MURPHY SPEAKING TO REPORTER (SOUNDBITE) (English) ACTOR EDDIE MURPHY SAYING: "I've been making movies for almost 40 years and every five years I'm in my comeback - they say I'm coming back. But it's more a book end than it is a comeback, because I'm never going to be making movies like I used to make movies. You know, two, three movies a year, I'm never going to be doing that again. And I think once I get on the stage again and start doing standup again, I can't imagine I'll be - unless, you know, some genius filmmaker has some great ideas or something. You know, something is really, really, special. But I think, for the most part, I'm going to be mostly live stuff I'm going to do this - I've did this 'Dolemite' movie. I'm doing 'Coming to America' now, then I'm doing Beverly Hills Cop. And that's as far as I'm thinking with movies."
  • Embargoed: 18th October 2019 18:17
  • Keywords: movie film comedy Dolemite premiere Netflix bio-pic actor Eddie Murphy
  • Location: BEVERLY HILLS + LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES / CANNES + DEAUVILLE, FRANCE / TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA / UNKNOWN FILM LOCATIONS
  • City: BEVERLY HILLS + LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES / CANNES + DEAUVILLE, FRANCE / TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA / UNKNOWN FILM LOCATIONS
  • Country: USA
  • Topics: Celebrities,Arts / Culture / Entertainment
  • Reuters ID: LVA002AZOKGGD
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: WARNING: CONTAINS PROFANITY
    After nearly 4 decades in the entertainment industry Eddie Murphy is poised to create the last chapter of his career.
    "It's more a bookend than it is a comeback, because I'm never going to be making movies like I used to make movies. You know, two, three movies a year, I'm never going to be doing that again. And I think once I get on the stage again and start doing standup again, I can't imagine I'll be - unless, you know, some genius filmmaker has some great ideas or something."
    The comedian, who got his start on Saturday Night Live at the age of 18, revealed he will no longer appear in films like he once did.
    "I'm 58 now and I like to - I like nothing more than to just be at home on the couch within earshot of the children…I'm going to be mostly live stuff I'm going to do this - I've did this 'Dolemite' movie. I'm doing 'Coming to America' now, then I'm doing Beverly Hills Cop. And that's as far as I'm thinking with movies."
    But he did say filmmakers Quentin Tarantino, Stephen Spielberg, Spike Lee or Martin Scorsese could be the ones to lure him back to the big screen.
    Up next for Murphy is a starring role in the October 4 release of the Rudy Ray Moore biopic, "Dolemite Is My Name."
    The film tells the story of Moore who did everything he could to become a stand-up comedian and ultimately one of the first guerrilla filmmakers with his film 1970s Blaxploitation film, "Dolemite."
    While the comedian can relate to late comedian's drive, their career path couldn't be more different. Murphy described his career as charmed and the closest thing from walking out of heaven into Hollywood.
    "Providence kind of, you know, put me where I was at, I didn't set out to be the first to do whatever it just turned out that way."
    In a 2004 Rolling Stone interview Murphy said he was the first black actor to take control in a white world on film, however he wasn't aware then of the swift he was creating in his first move, "48 Hours."
    "On paper you don't think he's, like he's moving the story forward, it's like he's the sidekick. But when you watch the movie it's like, ok, we can't solve this crime without this guy… I go in a bar in '48 Hours' and beat up these red necks, that was funny, you know. They didn't realize it was revolutionary until afterwards," he explained.
    After meeting legendary actor Marlon Brando, Murphy said he then understood how groundbreaking 48 Hours was.
    "He did a line from '48 Hours.' Marlon Brando said to me, 'when you said I'm a nigger with a badge and that means I've got permission to kick your fucking ass.' And I was sitting there watching that shit like, wow, I didn't say that shit like that."
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2019. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register