Eddie Murphy names the greatest filmmakers in cinema history: “The most brilliant directors ever”
The list of actors who fancy themselves as directors grows longer by the year, and it was a bridge Eddie Murphy decided to cross relatively early on in his career. He quickly discovered he wasn’t cut out for pulling double duty, though, and he hasn’t helmed another picture since.
He was already an A-list megastar and one of the industry’s biggest draws before he spread himself too thin on Harlem Nights, which was only his tenth film as an actor and released seven years after his silver-screen debut. Murphy wrote the script, directed, played the lead role, and executive produced the 1989 comedy; it wasn’t a mistake he made again.
Although the period-set caper was a commercial success that recouped its budget more than twice over at the box office, it was a minor hit compared to the star’s previous string of blockbusters. Not only that, but he won a Razzie for ‘Worst Screenplay’, turning the entire experience into a particularly chastening one.
That was more than enough to convince Murphy that his talents weren’t best served behind the camera, and he’s never even contemplated directing in the four decades since. Unlike many of his peers, the star didn’t necessarily have a wish list of filmmakers he was desperate to work with, which makes sense when he was typically the biggest creative driving force behind every project released during his golden period.
“I used to have a list like that,” he admitted to IndieWire. “I don’t have a list like that now. Now I’m like if something comes along with whoever, and it’s amazing, I’m open.” He may not have a roster of auteurs he’s desperate to collaborate with, but Murphy nonetheless knows who he’d name as the pinnacle.
“I think the most brilliant directors ever are Steven Spielberg and [Martin] Scorsese,” he stated. “I love watching their movies.” Ever the confident type, Murphy may have anointed the two ‘New Hollywood’ heavyweights as the greatest of all time, but he wouldn’t go so far as to say he’d drop everything and come running should they call.
“I don’t know if I said the words ‘really want to work,'” he clarified. “I’m an admirer of their films. I think they’re the most gifted of the filmmakers of my generation. I find myself watching their movies over and over and over and over and over again.”
Murphy isn’t rocking the boat or throwing a curveball by naming Spielberg and Scorsese as the pinnacle of directing because anyone who tries to state a case for either man not being ranked among the industry’s best ever doesn’t have a leg to stand on.
That doesn’t make it any less interesting to hear those two singled out as his picks, though, because that’s not quite the calibre of auteur Murphy has become synonymous with during his 40+ years in the spotlight.
