Eddie Murphy is about as candid as Hollywood stars come, with the actor name dropping the “worst movies” he’s featured in.
The US blockbuster legend, 64, sat down for an interview for Complex’s “360 With Speedy” series when he was asked to rank his top four best films.
With a stacked resume of beloved movies, Murphy flipped the question, saying it would be “easier to name my four worst movies”.
Without further ado, Murphy said 2002’s “The Adventures of Pluto Nash” was one of his biggest bombs.
The comedy sci-fi was undoubtedly not just one of Murphy’s biggest failures, but also one of the most significant flops in cinematic history, bringing in only $7 million globally against a production budget of about $100 million.
Next, Murphy named 1998 “Holy Man,” which also starred Jeff Goldblum and Kelly Preston.
It made $12 million against a budget of $60 million, and received largely negative reviews from critics.
During the interview, Speedy Morman inquired about Murphy’s 2007 film “Norbit,” which, despite achieving box office success, was heavily criticized by both reviewers and audiences.
The film saw Murphy play multiple characters, including the titular role Norbit and his tyrannical wife Rasputia.
“I love ‘Norbit,’” Murphy argued.
“You know, ‘Norbit’ came out right after I received an Oscar nomination [for ‘Dreamgirls’]. So there were articles questioning, ‘How could he get an Oscar when he did this?’ They’re two different movies.
“I wrote it with my brother Charlie. We think ‘Norbit’ is funny.
“They gave me a Razzie for worst actor, worst actress and worst actor of the decade for that … Come on, that s–t ain’t that bad.
“To this day I like it. Stuff in ‘Norbit’ makes me laugh.”
As for his top four, Murphy named “Coming to America,” “The Nutty Professor,” “Shrek,” and “Dreamgirls.” “48 Hrs” also got a special mention.
In the interview, the star also revealed several other pop culture insights, including his decision to pass on the lead role in the 1998 hit “Rush Hour”—which eventually went to Chris Tucker—to star in “Holy Man” instead.
“They presented me with two scripts; ‘Rush Hour,’ it’s an action comedy with Jackie Chan, full of action. And this other one [‘Holy Man’] is you in a robe in Miami.
“And I was like, ‘no-brainer’. And we went to Miami and made a horrendous film. But it was easy,” he laughed.
“Sorry, I gotta stop saying [it was] horrendous.”
Additionally, Murphy disclosed that he’s only ever auditioned for a role once in his whole career. That was for “Saturday Night Live!,” which became his industry breakthrough when he was just 19 in 1980.
“Never [auditioned for a movie],” Murphy said.
“I’m the only actor … No actor can make such a bold statement. That they only had one audition their whole life.
“It makes other actors sick though.”
