Eddie Murphy reflects on ‘s****y movies’ that drove him to stop acting

‘I was like, ‘this s*** ain’t fun,’ said Murphy. ‘They’re giving me Razzies’

Eddie Murphy has reflected on taking a break from acting after starring in a string of poorly received films in the late 2000s.

Between 2013 and 2018, Murphy, once a Hollywood A-lister, appeared in just one film, 2016’s Mr Church.

However, his acclaimed turn in the 2019 film Dolemite is My Name was widely considered a comeback for the actor. His most recent film, comedy sequel Coming 2 America, was released on Friday (5 March).

Speaking to comedian Marc Maron on the WTF podcast, Murphy explained why he decided to “take a break” from acting, acknowledging the low quality of some of the films he has starred in.

“I was making s****y movies,” he said. “I was like, ‘this s*** ain’t fun. They’re giving me Razzies.”

READ MORE: Eddie Murphy was ‘forced’ to cast a white actor in Coming to America

Razzies (Golden Raspberry Awards) are issued each year to the “worst” achievements in film.

Prior to his break from acting, Murphy had been nominated nine times, for films including Norbit, The Adventures of Pluto Nash, and Meet Dave, winning thrice. In 2010, he was awarded the title of “Worst Actor of the Decade”.

“Motherf***ers gave me the ‘worst actor ever’ Razzie,” Murphy continued. “[So I thought] ‘maybe it’s time to take a break’.

Eddie Murphy acting opposite himself in the widely panned 2007 comedy Norbit (©2021 DREA)

“I was only gonna take a break for a year, then all of a sudden six years go by, and I’m sitting on the couch, and I could sit on the couch and not get off it, but I don’t want to the last bunch of s*** they see me do [to be] bulls***.

“The plan was to go do Dolemite, Saturday Night Live, Coming 2 America, and then do stand-up and see how I felt afterwards. At least then they’ll know I’m [still] funny.”

In 2019, Murphy was awarded a “Razzie Redeemer Award” for his Dolemite performance.