Eddie Murphy emerged as a superstar on Saturday Night Live through his various performances as original characters and his impersonations of celebrities. Eventually, he made the shift to film in the ‘80s and ‘90s, and Murphy's funniest movie characters like Professor Sherman Klump in The Nutty Professor and Prince Akeem in Coming to America ultimately made waves. Amid the sea of comedies, Murphy was apparently also offered a meaty dramatic role, though the great Sidney Poitier told him to decline.
The two-part documentary film called Number One on the Call Sheet, which just became available to Apple TV+ subscription holders, sees renowned Black stars discussing their experiences in Hollywood. In the doc, Eddie Murphy revealed the time he was presented with the opportunity to join a film that was ultimately directed by Spike Lee:
Early on, Sidney said — I don’t know if it was an insult or a compliment, or something. It was like… They were talking about doing Malcolm X. Norman Jewison was putting it together, and they were going to use The Autobiography of Malcolm X by Alex Haley, and they approached me about playing Alex Haley.
One of James Earl Jones’ greatest performances was actually playing author Alex Haley in the book adaptation miniseries Roots and Roots: The Next Generations. So, needless to say, that role carried some heft, and it would've been a major change of pace for Eddie Murphy at that point in his career. Still, Murphy had plenty of talent, and I can understand why Norman Jewison would've wanted him to join the project while he was still attached to it.
As the Academy Award nominee went on to explain in the doc, he eventually told Sidney Poitier about the gig. Poitier wasn't too thrilled with the prospect of the comedian playing Alex Haley, and he explained just why:
And some-kind-of-where around that same time, I bumped into Sidney Poitier at something. And I asked him, ‘Yeah, I’m thinking about playing Alex Haley.’ And Sidney Poitier said [talks with Poitier's accent], ‘You are not Denzel, and you are not Morgan. You are a breath of fresh air. And don’t fuck with that.’ And I was like, ‘What?’
Ultimately, Alex Haley was not depicted in Malcolm X, with only his book being used as the film’s source material. It seemed the Dr. Dolittle star may have been confused about whether Sidney Poitier was complimenting or insulting him. My interpretation of the advice, though, would be that Poitier was saying Eddie Murphy is an actor with his own brand of charisma and genius. Poitier likely meant that instead of conforming to traditionally dramatic actors like Denzel Washington and Morgan Freeman, Murphy should stay true to his vibe.
The Shrek actor would indeed continue to be a Hollywood standout but for both his comedic roles as well as dramatic ones. He's also become one of a select group of actors whose movies have brought in more than $2 billion, collectively. I'd say that Mr. Murphy is a singular talent and has paved the way for future generations of Black actors to take on major Hollywood roles.
It's probably best that we're not too hard on the late Sidney Poitier either, as he was likely just trying to be helpful. After all, he was aware of being a rarity in Hollywood, as the Bahamian-American actor’s portrayals of intelligent, confident men are what led him to become the first Black actor to win the Academy Award for Best Actor. So, while it's easy to think about the road not taken, I'd say that Eddie Murphy isn't worse off for not having been in Malcolm X.
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
