Eddie Murphy Reveals the Strange Advice He Got From James Brown & the Shocking Reason Behind It
What To Know
- Eddie Murphy recounted receiving unusual advice from James Brown.
- Murphy also shared that Sidney Poitier advised him to focus on comedy roles rather than dramatic ones.
- Murphy later realized that James Brown was under the influence, explaining the bizarre nature of the advice.
Comedy icon Eddie Murphy has been opening up about his career and the figures who shaped it — but sometimes the advice he gets is downright wild, and the stories behind it are even wilder.
Originally, in a two-episode Apple TV+ documentary Number One on the Call Sheet, Murphy shared some advice he received from Oscar-winning Hollywood legend Sidney Poitier and legendary musician James Brown. But while Poitier’s advice to stick to comedic roles was understandable, Brown’s advice was somewhat unexpected.
Murphy explained in the documentary, “And James Brown told me, he asked me, he told me I should stop cursing. He said [imitating Brown’s raspy voice], ‘You want to be in this business for a long time, you should stop that cursing.’ And he said, ‘You think you got a million dollars?’ I said, ‘Yeah, I do.’ And he said, ‘You ain’t got no million dollars.’ He said, ‘If you do got a millions dollars, you take it and bury it in the woods.’ ”
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“And I said, ‘Why bury my money in the woods?’ ” Murphy continued. “He said, ‘The government will take it from you. So bury it.’ And I said, ‘But can’t the government take your land?’ And he said, ‘But they won’t know where the money is.’ That’s a true story. That’s the kind of advice I used to get.”
Apple TV+/Everett Collection
Though Brown and Murphy didn’t star in any films together, early in his career, Murphy was known for his James Brown impression, which he brought to SNL as part of the skit “James Brown Celebrity Hot Tub Party.” The impression so impressed the Godfather of Soul that he at one point suggested that Murphy play him in a biopic film.
In the film, Murphy also revealed the advice Poitier gave him that would impact the trajectory of his career. Murphy bumped into him and mentioned that he was thinking of playing the part of Roots author Alex Haley. However, Poitier advised him not to take the role and to focus on comedy instead.
However, in the new Netflix documentary Being Eddie, there is an additional detail that puts a whole new spin on the story. While talking to Tracy Morgan, Chris Rock, and Dave Chappelle backstage at Saturday Night Live, Murphy retells the story, but adds an important nugget of information to the end of the tale: “Then years later I realized he was on angel dust when we had that conversation.”
The shocking revelation puts the suggestion in a whole new light.
Netflix’s documentary Being Eddie premieres on November 12.
— Additional reporting from Erin Maxwell
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