Noah Romsdal Hallundbæk Sørensen
Eddie Murphy opens up about a major career moment he now wishes he had handled differently.
A new interview has Eddie Murphy reflecting on career choices that still linger in his mind.
The comedy star, whose films ruled the box office across the 1980s and 1990s, admitted there were roles he now wishes he had taken.
He spoke about the missed chances while discussing his long career and current projects.
Big roles missed
Speaking to the Associated Press, Murphy acknowledged that a handful of major films could have changed the shape of his résumé.
“Yeah, there’s a couple of movies,” he told the outlet. “Ghostbusters, I was supposed to do Ghostbusters. Didn’t do that. And Rush Hour. Didn’t do that.
Oh, and Who Framed Roger Rabbit. Those are my big three ‘wish I would have done’ movies. They were huge giant hits.”
The actor added that each one slipped away for different reasons.
Choosing differently
Murphy explained that one opportunity forced a choice at a pivotal moment in his early career.
“Well, with Ghostbusters, I did Beverly Hills Cop instead. So, it was like, it was do this or that, so it worked out cool,” he said.
Others, he added, came down to instinct. “And Who Framed Roger Rabbit just sounded ridiculous to me, and I passed on it.
And, afterwards, I was like, ‘Oh that’s f***ing amazing.’”
Enduring career
Despite the occasional regret, Murphy’s success has been long-established.
According to the Associated Press, he broke out during his four years on Saturday Night Live before anchoring hits such as Coming to America, The Nutty Professor and Dr. Dolittle.
He later became a fixture in animation, lending his voice to Mushu in Disney’s Mulan and Donkey in DreamWorks’ Shrek series.
Shrek returns
In a recent conversation with The Hollywood Reporter, Murphy discussed returning as Donkey for a fifth Shrek film scheduled for 2027.
“You have a headache after a Shrek session. The donkey has a lot of singing,” he said. “You’re on 10, and you’re doing it over and over again. The great thing, though, is it’s appreciated. Everybody loves the movie.”
He added that the stakes feel high each time: “Nothing’s worse than working really hard on something and doing makeup and sweat and all this s***, and then you put it out, and they’d be like, ‘Two thumbs down.’ You go, ‘I was in the makeup chair for 50 hours.’”
Sources: Associated Press, IGN Nordic, X.com, The Hollywood Reporter
