All About Laughs
Eddie Murphy is one of the most prolific actors and comedians that Hollywood has seen. His accomplishments include multiple award nominations and wins from some of his most iconic roles. There was a time when Eddie Murphy ruled the big screen, with films like the Shrek franchise and the acclaimed Dreamgirls among others, but then the actor was noticeably absent before returning in 2019 with Dolemite Is My Name. In a recent interview, the actor has finally given an explanation as to why we did not see him.
The 80s gave us life when Brooklyn-born Eddie Murphy arrived on the scene. During an extremely successful stint on Saturday Night Live, Murphy became the biggest star in Hollywood with major roles in films like Trading Places, Beverly Hills Cop I, II, and III, Coming To America, and more. There was also his classic stand-up Eddie Murphy: Raw that will forever remain immortal.
Also, joke as you may but the comedian also had a singing career. In 1985, he released his debut album “How Could It Be” that included the top-ten hit “Party All The Time,” produced and written by Rick James. However, his next two albums – one would include a duet with Michael Jackson called “Whatzupwitu”. would not do well as well.
Either way, Murphy trailed on with continued success in the comedy and acting world. He started to transition into more family-friendly films such as Dr. Doolite, and Shrek amid the classic comedy Nutty Professor franchise.
Murphy would start to get the attention of The Oscars in 2006 when he played the role of James “Thunder” Early in Dreamgirls. Critics hailed his performance as some of his best work and soon found himself nominated for Best Supporting Actor at that year’s Oscars.
But in a swift turn of events, he was found nominated for multiple awards at the “Razzies” or the Golden Raspberry Awards in 2008 for his role in Norbit, which was negatively received by critics. The Razzies are known to award those films and actors that are considered to be the worst of the year. In 2008, Norbit received a total of eight nominations, three of which were given to Eddie Murphy for “Worst Actor”, “Worst Supporting Actor”, and “Worst Supporting Actress”. Overall, Murphy has been nominated nine times.
After the release of Norbit in 2008, Murphy starred in a few other films such as the final 2 films in the Shrek franchise and Tower Heist in 2011. It wasn’t until 2019 when the actor would make a major comeback with the release of Dolemite Is My Name, which would garner him a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor among other accolades. Oddly enough, Murphy would become the recipient of that year’s “Razzie Redeemer Award” at the Golden Raspberry Awards, acknowledging his comeback.
Recently, Eddie Murphy had a conversation with comedian Marc Maron on his WTF podcast where he offered his reason for his absence on the big screen. “I was making s***ty movies,” Murphy explained. “I was like, ‘This s**t ain’t fun. They’re giving me Razzies…’ [MFs] gave me the Worst Actor Ever Razzie,” he said. “[So I thought], ‘Maybe it’s time to take a break.'”
Murphy added, “I was only gonna take a break for a year, then all of a sudden six years go by, and I’m sitting on the couch. I could sit on the couch and not get off it, but I don’t want to the last bunch of s**t they see me do to be [BS]. The plan was to go do Dolemite, Saturday Night Live, Coming 2 America, and then do stand-up and see how I felt afterwards. At least then they’ll know I’m [still] funny.”
We’re glad to see him back. According to Deadline, Murphy is slated to star in an upcoming sequel to the Beverly Hills Cop film franchise.
