Eddie Murphy is opening up about some advice Sidney Poitier once gave him that left him surprised.
In Apple TV+’s latest documentary titled “Number One on the Call Sheet: Black Leading Men in Hollywood“, it was revealed that the actor from “Beverly Hills Cop” discussed how the Oscar-winning actor advised him against taking on the role in the 1992 film “Malcom X“. At that time, the movie was originally set to be directed by Norman Jewison, who had previously worked with Poitier on “In the Heat of the Night“, and had cast Denzel Washington as the main character. However, Spike Lee later took over as director.
Murphy reminisced about a conversation where they discussed portraying Malcolm X. Norman Jewison was the one orchestrating it, and they planned to use “The Autobiography of Malcolm X” by Alex Haley. They approached me about taking on the role of Alex Haley. Around the same period, I ran into Sidney Poitier at some event, and I mentioned, ‘I’m considering playing Alex Haley!’ To which Sidney Poitier replied, ‘You aren’t Denzel [Washington], and you aren’t Morgan [Freeman]. You are a breath of fresh air, so don’t mess with that!’
As a gamer, I’ll confess, I was taken aback when I wasn’t sure if Poitier’s words were a jibe or a praise, but the fact that he likened me to Washington and Freeman left me utterly speechless. “What?” was all I could manage to mutter in response.
In another part of the book titled “Black Leading Men in Hollywood“, Murphy pondered on the reason why Poitier did not categorize him alongside Washington and Freeman.
In unfamiliar territory, the actor from “Dreamgirls” explained, as for Sidney and the others, my arrival was somewhat novel. They didn’t have any precedent for me, they couldn’t offer guidance because I was 20 or 21 years old. My audience stretched across the globe, with my films screened worldwide, a first for them with a young Black individual. Consequently, nobody could provide advice, truly. Everything took off rapidly and significantly.
Although Haley wasn’t depicted as a character in Lee’s Malcolm X, the movie garnered significant acclaim, receiving two Academy Award nominations: one for Washington’s outstanding performance and another for Ruth E. Carter’s exceptional costume design.
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2025-04-02 06:24