Beverly Hills Cop? The beloved 1984 film starring laugh riot Eddie Murphy along with John Ashton, and Judge Reinhold grossed an eye-popping $316 million at the box office while costing only $14 million to make. The movie was praised for its humor and witty one-liners.
Turns out Eddie Murphy is responsible for a lot of them. In fact, he’s the one who made his co-stars almost die laughing because his improvised lines were better than the ones the script offered. One such instance even made it into the film’s final theatrical cut.
Eddie Murphy’s Hilarious Improvisation Made His Co-Stars Pinch Their Faces And Thighs
There’s a hilarious bit of Beverly Hills Cop trivia that’s not known by many fans. Actually, hundreds of takes were ruined thanks to Eddie Murphy improvising so well that the cast and crew were rolling over laughing. One such scene even made it into the film. When the actor is delivering his ‘super-cops’ monologue, John Ashton can be seen pinching his face and looking down.
At a glance, it might look like he’s frustrated but it’s actually because he’s laughing and trying really hard not to ruin the take. Judge Reinhold had to pinch his thighs to prevent himself from bursting out laughing during that scene. The film was so successful that it spawned two sequels. However, nowadays Murphy is nowhere to be seen. So what went wrong?
Read More: $4.02B Franchise Paid Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy a Stupendous Amount of Money for Voicing Iconic Roles
Is Comedian And Actor Eddie Murphy Not Working In Hollywood Anymore?
From the 1996’s The Nutty Professor to voicing a character in the Shrek movies, Eddie Murphy had a long and successful career. However, the actor is rarely seen nowadays in films or TV shows. So did he opt out of Hollywood or is no one hiring him anymore? In 2021, on the WTF podcast he revealed the reason why he wasn’t acting in movies anymore. The star said:
“I had stopped making movies in 2011 because I was making these sh*tty movies, and it was like, ‘This sh*t ain’t fun.’ They giving me Razzies; I think these motherf**kers gave me the Worst Actor Ever Razzie.”
However, he hasn’t had a lack of supporters in his career. So many prominent people came to his defense when he was getting mocked for the films he was making. A 2020 article in The Atlantic stated that:
“[Eddie Murphy] saved a beloved TV show and blazed a trail for Black performers, all without a road map. Better to pay tribute to him for his great work than prosecute him for his flops and youthful offenses.”
However, it doesn’t look like the actor is too pressed about it. He has a net worth of $200 million and is also starring in the 4th Beverly Hills Cop movie called Axel Foley.
Beverly Hills Cop is available on Paramount+.
Source: Fast Rewind and WTF Podcast
