Eddie Murphy on 'surreal' encounter with Prince and the one Hollywood role he regrets turning down
Eddie Murphy has revealed he once shared a “surreal” moment with late music icon Prince while at the musician’s house.
The actor appeared as a guest on The Tonight Show last night (20 December) and made some candid revelations while chatting to show host Jimmy Fallon, including clearing up a rumour about his supposed decision to turn down Ghostbusters, and the movie he did turn down but would later regret.
Talking about Prince encounter, Murphy said: “It was two or three in the morning and we were at his house and Prince asks, ‘Who wants to go roller skating?’ I was like, ‘What?’ We went to this roller rink at three in the morning.
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“You know how some sneakers, when you walk they would light up? He had skates that when he skated they would light up.”
Fallon responded: “That’s bizarre,” to which Murphy replied, “It was surreal.”
Fallon went on to put some Hollywood “folklore” stories to Murphy, including Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis wanting the star to be in the original Ghostbusters film, and if so, did he turn it down.
“Yes, because I did Beverly Hills Cop,” Murphy responded.
“It wasn’t like I turned it down, in as much as I wasn’t available because I did this other movie.”
But he went on to explained there was one movie which he definitely did turn down, and not because of schedule conflict.
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The 58-year-old revealed: “The only movie that I have turned down that became a big hit was that, Who Framed Roger Rabbit. I was going to be the Bob Hoskins dude.”
Murphy went on to say he thought the premise of the movie sounded ridiculous.
“I was like, ‘what? Animation and people sounds like bullsh*t to me,'” he said. “Now every time I see it, I feel like an idiot.”
The movie went on to make $329 million at the worldwide box office, and won three Oscars.
