The “horrible” 2015 role Eddie Murphy point-blank refused to play: “Nothing funny about it”
Back in his stand-up days, absolutely nothing was off-limits for Eddie Murphy, who’d gladly give the scorched earth treatment to anyone or anything he felt was deserving.
Of course, people mellow with age, and by the time he’d settled into his groove as a movie star, certain boundaries emerged that he wasn’t willing to cross. Even after his stock had plummeted and he exiled himself from Hollywood, Murphy knew where the line was.
There are many roles he refused to play for one reason or another, and the only three he regrets are Ghostbusters, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, and Rush Hour. As for everything else? He doesn’t view them as ones that got away, regardless of how many shit films he made in their place.
As soon as he debuted on Saturday Night Live in 1980 when still a teenager, it was obvious that the sky was the limit. He’d outgrow the show within a couple of years, but once he left, his relationship with the weekly staple soured, although it was almost entirely David Spade’s fault.
When he cracked a joke at Murphy’s expense, calling him a falling star after Vampire in Brooklyn had added another flop to his filmography, the comic-turned-leading man took it personally, and more than 30 years would pass between his last appearance as a cast member in April 1984 and his return.
After a three-decade absence, big things were expected when he agreed to show up for the 40th anniversary episode in February 2015, but all he did was thank the crowd. Some felt it was a disappointment, but there was one reason why his contributions were so limited.
The writers had pitched the idea of having him play Bill Cosby in a sketch, with the disgraced comedian’s historical sexual misconduct scandal in the middle of the zeitgeist. Murphy had used Cosby as part of his act before, but when SNL wanted him to make light of a serious situation, he point-blank refused.
“It’s horrible,” he shared. “There’s nothing funny about it. If you get up there and you crack jokes about him, you’re just hurting people. You’re hurting him. You’re hurting his accusers. I was like, ‘Hey, I’m coming back to SNL for the anniversary, I’m not turning my moment on the show into this other thing.'”
He’d put his foot down, Cosby was a no-go area, and since the writers didn’t seem to have a backup plan for whatever reason, Murphy’s contributions to the 40th anniversary show were minimal. On the plus side, he did make his long-awaited hosting debut four years later, so he eventually made up for lost time.
