Eddie Murphy feels “like an idiot” to this day for turning down a role over 30 years ago. In the 1980s, Murphy could do no wrong. He went from stand up, to Saturday Night Live, to a huge movie career, and ended up with some of the most legendary comedy specials of all time. Movies like 48 Hours, Trading Places, Beverly Hills Cop, Coming to America, and more set the comedian on his way. However, there’s one Disney project he wishes he would have said yes to during that time.
During a new interview, Eddie Murphy was asked about certain aspects of his career that have practically turned into myths. Everything from having an intense dinner with Marlon Brando to bizarre Prince stories were proven to be true. Murphy was then asked about turning down the original Ghostbusters, which he says is true, though he didn’t really turn it down, he was just too busy making Beverly Hills Cop. This had Murphy admitting that he did turn down Disney’s Who Framed Roger Rabbit, which he regrets to this day.
Eddie Murphy says he was going to play the Eddie Valiant role in Who Framed Roger Rabbit that Bob Hoskins ended up taking on. “Now, every time I see it, I feel like an idiot,” says Murphy. He went on to say, “I was like, ‘What? Animation and people, that just sound like bullsh*t to me.'” While it may not have been what Eddie Murphy wanted to do at the time, the movie went on to be a huge success and it’s one of the only regrets that the comedian has in his long career.
Bob Hoskins was the perfect choice for the Who Framed Roger Rabbit role of Eddie Valiant. However, one can easily picture Eddie Murphy taking it on too, though it would have been much different. Director Robert Zemeckis’ spent $70 million to make the movie, which went on to earn $329.8 million worldwide. In other words, it was a pretty big success upon its release and it is still a big movie today, thanks to the groundbreaking animation techniques, along with strong performances from the cast.
Eddie Murphy is currently out promoting Dolemite is My Name and was promoting his SNL appearance from over the weekend. Murphy is on a roll right now and his hosting gig was a success as he graced the SNL stage for the first time in over 30 years. He seemed to be enjoying himself and even got into some hot water with Bill Cosby after making a joke about America’s former Dad. Regardless, Murphy is back in action and preparing to hit the standup circuit again, which may result in a Netflix special. You can watch the interview with Eddie Murphy below, thanks to the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon YouTube channel.
