When someone loves what they do for a living, especially someone in the entertainment industry, it might be hard to accept that your time in the limelight may need a 15-minute break. Recently, veteran actor Eddie Murphy said he knew he needed to step back from acting after a slew of not-so-good movies ultimately earned him an especially ignominious Razzie Award, a clear indication that it was time to pack it up.
During an appearance on the “WTF” podcast with host Marc Maron, the “Vampire in Brooklyn” star revealed that getting one particular Golden Raspberry Award — an accolade awarded to the worst films and performances of the year — pushed him to give up acting for several years.
“I was making sh-tty movies,” Murphy explained so eloquently. “I was like, ‘This sh-t ain’t fun. They’re giving me Razzies…Motherf-ckers gave me the ‘worst actor ever’ Razzie.’ [So he thought], ‘Maybe it’s time to take a break.'”
The 59-year-old is a nine-time Razzie nominee and a three-time winner, thanks to performances in movies including “Norbit,” “The Adventures of Pluto Nash,” and “Meet Dave.” However, it was seemingly his 2010 Razzie trophy, given to him for the Worst Actor of the Decade, which made the actor say enough is enough. Between 2013 and 2018, Murphy starred in one film, a 2016 indie drama titled “Mr. Church.”
Like the films before it, “Mr. Church” underperformed and received negative reviews from critics. Rotten Tomatoes — a highly regarded recommendation resource — gave the movie an approval rating of 24 percent based on 33 reviews, with an average rating of 4.4 out of 10.
Murphy wouldn’t return to screens until 2019 with his Netflix movie “Dolemite.”
“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 the last bunch of sh-t they see me do [to be] bullsh-t,” the actor explained.
He continued, “The plan was to go do ‘Dolemite,’ ‘Saturday Night Live,’ ‘Coming 2 America,’ and then do stand-up and see how I felt afterward. At least then they’ll know I’m [still] funny.”
Although the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic put a damper on Murphy’s plan to return to stand-up, his “Dolemite” performance earned him a “Razzie Redeemer Award” at the 2019 ceremony. He was also nominated for the Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actor in a Comedy or Musical.
Murphy is currently celebrating the release of “Coming 2 America,” the sequel to his 1988 comedy “Coming to America.” Viewers can stream “Coming 2 America” on Amazon Prime Video.
