Eddie Murphy Dishes on His Four Biggest Movie Flops and Rush Hour Rejection
Riley Carter here, casually observing that Eddie Murphy has just laid out a list of what he considers the four worst movies he has ever released. In a candid chat with Complexs 360 With Speedy series, the 64-year-old comedian pinpointed his biggest cinematic flops. Another day, another Hollywood king spilling the tea on his own resume.
When Speedy Morman asked Murphy to name his top four best films, the veteran star flipped the script and said it was far easier to list his four worst. Without skipping a beat, Murphy led off with the 2002 sci-fi comedy The Adventures of Pluto Nash. Known for its high concept and hefty budget, the film grossed just 7 million dollars worldwide against an estimated 100 million dollar production budget. Industry analysts still cite it as one of the biggest box office bombs in Hollywood history.
The conversation then moved to 1998’s Holy Man, a Jeff Goldblum and Kelly Preston co-starrer that pulled in 12 million dollars versus its 60 million dollar spend. Critics largely dismissed the project upon release, and audience scores on major review aggregates were equally cold. Murphy didn’t mince words about the project’s commercial and critical reception, calling it “horrendous” even as he cracked a grin at the memory.
Next up was the 2007 multi-character comedy Norbit. Despite landing at number two at the box office during its opening weekend, it was pummeled by film critics and ended up earning Murphy a Razzie for Worst Actor, Worst Actress, and Worst of the Decade, all for his own performance. “I love Norbit,” Murphy defended, noting it came right after his Oscar nod for Dreamgirls. He reminded fans that he co-wrote the script with his brother Charlie and still finds many of the characters hilarious.
On the flip side Murphy did acknowledge his personal top four favorites: Coming to America, The Nutty Professor, the first Shrek, and Dreamgirls. He also gave a special shout out to his 1982 breakout buddy-cop film 48 Hrs, calling it “the blueprint for every action-comedy bromance since.” These selections underscore the range he’s embraced over four decades onscreen.
In a surprising revelation Murphy admitted he turned down the lead role in the 1998 Jackie Chan action comedy Rush Hour, which ultimately made Chris Tucker a household name. “They brought me two scripts: one was Rush Hour, full of martial arts and stunts, the other was Holy Man,” he explained. “It felt like an easy Miami vacation, so I went with the robe gig. Turns out easy is not always the right call.”
Rounding out his career confessions, Murphy said he’s only ever auditioned once for any role, and that was for Saturday Night Live at age 19. He’s never auditioned for a single movie part, a feat he claims makes other actors “sick.”
Anyway, that’s the deal. Do with it what you will.
Sources: Celebrity Storm and New York Post, Complex
Attribution: “Universal/Getty Images; Courtesy Everett Collection; François Duhamel/Netflix” (Creative Commons)
