Recently, iconic comedian Eddie Murphy released a Netflix documentary, Being Eddie, chronicling his 40-plus years in the entertainment industry. From his Saturday Night Live beginnings to his expansive movie career, the film examines his life, and it features interviews with Murphy himself as well as the likes of Dave Chappelle, Arsenio Hall, John Landis, Jerry Seinfeld, Pete Davidson, Chris Rock, and more.
While promoting the documentary in an interview with the Associated Press, Murphy revealed one of his biggest career what-ifs. When asked what movie role he wishes he had accepted, the comedian immediately said, “Ghostbusters, I was supposed to do ‘Ghostbusters.’” Notably, he did not reveal which of the four lead roles he was originally slated to play.
“With ‘Ghostbusters,’ I did ‘Beverly Hills Cop’ instead… It was ‘do this or that,’ so it worked out cool,” Murphy revealed. Beverly Hills Cop remains one of the actor’s most notable franchises, with four installments so far and another in development. Likewise, Ghostbusters was a massive hit that established a multi-film franchise.
In addition to Ghostbusters, theComing to America star listed Rush Hour andWho Framed Roger Rabbit? as films thar he regretted turning down. “Who Framed Roger Rabbit just sounded ridiculous to me, and I passed on it,” said Murphy. “And afterwards, I was like, ‘Oh, that’s f*cking amazing.’“
When asked why he wished he hadn’t passed on those roles, Murphy quipped, “They were huge, giant hit movies.” Joking aside, he maintains that “those are [his] big three ‘wish [he] would have done’ movies.”
Despite expressing regret for missing out on Ghostbusters, Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, and Rush Hour, Murphy recently revealed he wouldn’t change a divisive entry in his filmography: Norbit. The film, which received an abysmal 9% from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, has been widely speculated as the reason that he did not win Best Supporting Actor for his role as Jimmy “Thunder” Early in Dreamgirls.
“I love Norbit,” Murphy said. “Norbit came out right after I got that Oscar nomination. There were articles like, ‘How can he get an Oscar [if] he did this?’ They’re two different movies. I wrote Norbit with my brother, Charlie, and we think Norbit is funny.”
With a career as long and varied as Eddie Murphy’s, it’s no big surprise he would have regrets along the way, and having had time to reflect on even the low point in his career, might see them in a positive light. Being Eddie is available to stream on Netflix.
- Birthdate
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April 3, 1961
- Birthplace
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Brooklyn, New York, USA
- Height
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5 feet 9 inches
