There’s a reason Eddie Murphy’s career in comedy has lasted well over four decades – he never spiraled out of control on drugs and booze.
‘I never had any interest in hard stuff. I smoked weed,’ the 64-year-old Oscar nominee told Collider earlier this month.
‘I had one time in my 20s where I went to the dentist, and the dentist gave me Percocet. I remember I was sitting at the dining room table, and I said, “I feel good!”
‘A guy who worked for me was like, “Yeah, that’s them Percocets, man.” I was like, “Really? Oh, wow.” So, I finished that prescription. I remember finishing that Percocet prescription.’
Murphy can recall the exact moment he realized he wasn’t for that drug life as well as the unlikely person who convinced him.
‘You know what made me stop taking them?’ the Being Eddie star noted.
There’s a reason Eddie Murphy’s career in comedy has lasted well over four decades – he never spiraled out of control on drugs and booze (pictured November 12)
The 64-year-old Oscar nominee told Collider earlier this month: ‘I had one time in my 20s where I went to the dentist, and the dentist gave me Percocet. I remember I was sitting at the dining room table, and I said, ‘I feel good!”
‘He doesn’t even know this story. I was at a club. I was at the Comedy Store, and I had taken a Percocet and I had smoked a joint, and that combination will make you feel like you’re…’
Murphy was suddenly approached by fellow standup comic Pauly Shore, whose mother Mitzi owned and operated the Comedy Store from 1974 until her death in 2018.
‘He was like, :Hey, you don’t even look like yourself tonight,:’ the Grammy winner recalled.
‘And I was like, ‘Really? Who do I look like?’ And he said, ‘Some other dude!’ and walked away.’
Laughing, Murphy continued: ‘And I was like, ‘Hey, I’m not f***ing with this no more.’ He said I looked like ‘some other dude.’ I was like, ‘What was I looking like?!”
The Pickup producer-star is set to receive the AFI Life Achievement Award during a gala tribute held at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood on April 18.
Murphy is ‘getting ready’ to star in a biopic on Parliament-Funkadelic founder George Clinton as well as taking over the role of Inspector Clouseau in The Pink Panther remake.
‘I’ve just been watching a lot of George Clinton stuff. It’s funny, you can’t think of two characters further away from each other than Inspector Clouseau and George Clinton,’ the Brooklyn-born funnyman marveled.
‘It’s like a hard left. [Laughs] You know, when I do something, when I do a character in a movie that I’m playing, there’s not a lot of studying the character or anything. I watch some films.
Murphy can recall the exact moment he realized he wasn’t for that drug life as well as the unlikely person who convinced him (pictured in 1987)
The Being Eddie star said: ‘He doesn’t even know this story. I was at a club. I was at the Comedy Store, and I had taken a Percocet and I had smoked a joint, and that combination will make you feel like you’re…’ (pictured in 1986)
Murphy was suddenly approached by fellow standup comic Pauly Shore (L), whose mother Mitzi (R) owned and operated the Comedy Store from 1974 until her death in 2018
The Grammy winner recalled: ‘He was like, ‘Hey, you don’t even look like yourself tonight.’ And I was like, ‘Really? Who do I look like?’ And he said, ‘Some other dude!’ and walked away’ (pictured in 1988 with the Beastie Boys)
Murphy continued: ‘And I was like, ‘Hey, I’m not f***ing with this no more.’ He said I looked like ‘some other dude.’ I was like, ‘What was I looking like?!”
The Pickup producer-star is set to receive the AFI Life Achievement Award during a gala tribute held at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood on April 18
‘Like when I did Rudy Ray Moore, I watched some stuff, and with George Clinton, I’ll watch some stuff. Then once I kind of get a feel of their rhythms and I’ve got a pretty good idea of how I’m going to play it, then I don’t do any other prep.’
Murphy is also set to star in Kyle Newacheck’s undead comedy Playas Ball, Jerry Bruckheimer’s continuation Beverly Hills Cop 5 and he’ll reprise his role as Donkey in Shrek 5 due out 2027.
The SNL veteran (1980-1984) would also love to come back to the long-running NBC sketch comedy show following his Emmy-winning return hosting in 2020.
‘Absolutely. Absolutely. Just looking for the right moment and the right time and stuff. But absolutely,’ Murphy gushed.
‘SNL is part of the culture. I feel like a part of it is home. I’ve always, even when I hadn’t gone back to the show for years and years, I still felt a connection to the show. I feel a kinship with everyone who’s ever worked on that show and been involved with that show. I feel connected to them. So, absolutely, I’d go back.’
