Eddie Murphy reveals his hiatus from acting came after ‘Worst Actor Ever’ Razzie Award: ‘I was only gonna take a break for a year… six years go by’
His distinctions as an actor run the gamut from a Best Supporting Oscar nod all the way to the Worst Actor Ever Razzie Award.
And Eddie Murphy revealed this week that the latter ‘award’ was the main reason he took an extended break from the craft over the last decade.
The comedian, who turns 60 next month, stopped by the WTF with Marc Maron podcast on Tuesday, to discuss both his new starring role in sequel Coming 2 America as well as to reflect on his film career.
Sensitive star: Eddie Murphy revealed this week that receiving a Razzie Award was the main reason he took an extended break from the craft over the last decade; seen in January 2020
‘I was making sh**ty movies,’ Murphy said of his stint in the late aughts that saw him in Razzie-winning pickles like Norbit and Meet Dave.
‘I was like, “This s**t ain’t fun. They’re giving me Razzies…” Motherf***er gave me the worst actor ever Razzie. [So I thought], “Maybe it’s time to take a break,”‘ he continued.
‘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 and I could sit on the couch and not get off it, but I don’t want the last bunch of s**t they see me do [to be] bulls**t,’ the Nutty Professor star later added.
Princely: The comedian, who turns 60 next month, discussed his new starring role in sequel Coming 2 America as well as reflected on his film career on Tuesday
‘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,’ Eddie added.
After Murphy’s incredible success in the 90s and early 2000s with films like The Nutty Professor, Dr. Dolittle, Bowfinger and others, he made a string of box office and critical misfires like The Adventures of Pluto Nash, I Spy and Showtime, all released in 2002.
After Murphy’s incredible success in the 90s and early 2000s: He made a string of misfires like The Adventures of Pluto Nash and I Spy (pictured, with Owen Wilson) all released in 2002
Later, he ‘won’ three Razzies – all in different acting categories – for 2007’s cheap Nutty Professor knockoff Norbit in 2007.
After a few more bombs, including Meet Dave in 2008 and Imagine That one year later, Murphy gained the ‘distinguished’ Worst Actor of the Decade Razzie Award in 2010.
However, it can’t be overlooked that in the middle of all this, Eddie was recognized with an Academy Award nomination for his excellent and scene-stealing supporting performance in 2006’s Dreamgirls.
Later: He ‘won’ three Razzies – all in different acting categories – for 2007’s cheap Nutty Professor knockoff Norbit in 2007
Still, the years between 2010 and 2020 saw only a handful of original starring roles from the SNL funnyman, including 2011’s Tower Heist, 2016’s Mr. Church and Dolemite Is My Name in 2019, for which he was nominated for a Golden Globe.
This year, of course, has seen Eddie reprise one of his most prized roles; that of Prince Akeem from 1988’s Coming To America, in the Amazon Prime sequel Coming 2 America.
And the sequels will keep coming for the star, as his two upcoming projects are Beverly Hills Cop 4, as well as Triplets, which will see him join forces with Danny DeVito and Arnold Schwarzenegger after their hit 1988 team-up Twins.
After a few more bombs, including Meet Dave in 2008 and Imagine That one year later (pictured): Murphy gained the ‘distinguished’ Worst Actor of the Decade Razzie Award in 2010
This year, of course, has seen Eddie reprise one of his most prized roles: That of Prince Akeem from 1988’s Coming To America (pictured), in the Amazon Prime sequel Coming 2 America