- Title: USA: AMERICAN FILM PREMIERE OF EDDIE MURPHY AND ROBERT DE NIRO COMEDY "SHOWTIME"
- Date: 3rd March 2002
- Summary: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (MARCH 3) (REUTERS) SCU (SOUNDBITE) (English) RENE RUSSO SAYING OF DENIRO: "He fits with Eddie because he's so dry and Eddie's bouncing off the walls and the two of them together really work and so I got to play, had to play completely in a different way with Eddie than I did with Bob." SCU (SOUNDBITE) (English) EDDIE MURPHY SAYING OF DENIRO: "Well I've always been a big fan of Robert Deniro's, but because he's a dramatic actor, I never even thought about working in movies with him. I was like, just a fan on the outside, you know? And he started doing comedies a couple of years ago and he likes doing comedies now so, got to work with, you know, one of the top five actors who ever did it."
- Embargoed: 18th March 2002 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES AND FILM LOCATIONS
- Country: USA
- Reuters ID: LVA36XHUT3WOJXKI0JOH5HGQK83H
- Story Text: In one of Hollywood's most bizarre pairings in recent memory, Eddie Murphy and Robert DeNiro team up for the new action/comedy "Showtime." They play a pair of mismatched cops who reluctantly collaborate on a reality-based television series. The film's World Premiere was held in Los Angeles on Monday, March 11.
In "Showtime," Deniro plays no-nonsense Los Angeles Police Detective Mitch Preston, a man of few words, little patience and even less style. All he wants is to be left alone to do his job the way he's been doing it for more than 20 years.
Eddie Murphy's character, patrol officer Trey Sellers is a different story entirely. Instead of being a cop, he would rather play one on television. A frustrated actor, he spends his workdays rousting pickpockets and his evenings perfecting action poses in front of a mirror, just waiting for the one big break that will change his life.
That break comes when Preston lands in hot water after assaulting a television cameraman during an attempted bust.
In order to foster good relations with the community, his superiors force him to cooperate with a reality television show producer played by Rene Russo who wants to make his life into a weekly series.
Even worse, he has to team with the one man he respects the least: beat cop and actor wanna-be Trey Sellers.
The film is directed by Tom Dey, who made a successful feature film directorial debut in the summer of 1998 with the Jackie Chan Western "Shanghai Noon."
Murphy says he's always been a big fan of Robert DeNiro, but, since DeNiro used to be almost strictly a dramatic actor, he didn't think he'd ever get the chance to work with him. A few years ago however, DeNiro started playing in a string of hit comedies, like "Analyze This" and "Meet the Parents."
Murphy felt now would be the perfect time to team up with the acting legend.
Both actors have completely different approaches to their profession. DeNiro is known far and wide as a method actor who immerses himself in his roles and approaches the dialogue with a serious reverence. Murphy's style is more improvisational and loose, constantly throwing new ideas into a scene at every turn.
Both men agree that, in this case, opposites attract.
Rene Russo watched from the outside as Deniro's dry demeanour and Murphy's manic energy blended perfectly.
"Showtime" opens in cinemas throughout the United States on Friday, March 15.
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