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Murphy reveals Movie star three more than why it took his to reprise decades the role and make hit princely office 1988 box sequel to
FROM the Beverly Hills Cop franchise to the Shrek movies Eddie Murphy is partial to a sequel. But it’s taken the American funnyman 33 years to do a sequel to Coming To America.
And that’s despite the 1988 box office hit – about an African prince pretending to be poor to find love in the States – becoming a cult film with fans shouting “sexual chocolate” out to him, seeing the characters used for Halloween costumes and even a president emulating a mic drop Eddie argues originated in the movie.
The star, who turns 60 next month, said: “At first there wasn’t going to be a sequel. It was just going to be the one movie but then I still kept hearing people quote lines like ‘sexual chocolate’, dress up like the characters for Halloween and do a mic drop even though it had been something like 30 years since the movie came out. I was aware that Coming To America is on TV all the time and people were still loving it. It has become like a cult movie.
“That’s really why the idea of finally doing a sequel after 33 years came about.
“It was something I really wanted to do as both producer and performer but it took a while.
“We wanted to make sure we got it right because we really didn’t want to f*** it up!”
Coming To America was the final film of Eddie’s great 80s run. It had started in 1982 with 48 Hrs and included Trading Places and two Beverly Hills Cop movies.
Eddie played Prince Akeem Joffer who, along with best friend and aide Semmi, played by Arsenio Hall, travelled to New York to find a girl who would love him for himself and not for his wealth and status. The pair rent a rundown flat pretending to be foreign students and get jobs in a McDonald’s rip-off fast food restaurant McDowell’s. Akeem then finds love with the owner’s daughter Lisa, played by Shari Headley.
While the film is a love story, it’s best remembered for its banter and Eddie and Arsenio playing multiple characters. As well as the prince, Eddie plays barber shop owner Clarence, Jewish customer Saul and Randy Watson, singer with Sexual Chocolate, who in one iconic scene drops his mic at the end of a performance.
Most famously President Obama dropped his mic at a goodbye dinner before he left office.
And Eddie insisted he began the trend in Coming To America.
He said: “I don’t know what anyone is debating about, ‘cause I heard somebody say – somebody was like, ‘Oh, it started with the rappers.’
“The very first mic drop ever, ever, where it’s like, ‘What I said was so fly, there’s nothing left to say, and I’m dropping the mic, that’s Randy Watson.”
Eddie, who has 10 children by five women including Spice Girl Mel B, claims the idea for Coming To America happened after his heart was broken.
He said: “It was back when I was young and in the early days of being successful.
“I was on a tour bus and I had just broken up with my girlfriend at the time so I was feeling sorry for myself. I got into a conversation about how cool it would be to find a girl who loved me for just being me and not because I was famous. That conversation turned into the origin of what became of The Quest which then eventually became Coming To America.”
For Coming 2 America, Eddie’s Akeem is set to become King of Zamunda when he finds out he has a previously-unknown son, played by Jermaine Fowler, living in Queens. Honouring the dying wish of his father ( James Earl Jones) Akeem returns to America with Semmi to become acquainted with his son Lavelle. Another
new character is General Izzi played by Wesley Snipes. Izzi is the brother of Imani Izzi who had been due to marry Akeem in the first movie before he went to America. So Izzi doesn’t much like the man who jilted his sister.
The new movie also stars Eddie’s seventh child, Bella Zahra Murphy, as one of Akeem’s daughters.
Eddie admitted: “Bella, my 19-year-old actress daughter, plays my warrior princess daughters in the movie which was amazing.
“I can’t even put into words how proud I am of her.
“She auditioned, ran lines and got the part herself so there was no element of her not doing it for herself. She did an incredible job.” For Eddie it wasn’t difficult to return to the character of Prince Akeem after 30 years but he did struggle with the make-up needed to play multiple characters, particularly in the barbershop scenes.
He said: “The hardest thing was having to be in makeup for six hours at a time. That was tough.
“If we had an actor for each character for something like the barber shop scenes, they would probably take a day to shoot.
“It took us a week because you can only play one character per day because of all that makeup.”
Rather than cinemas, which have been closed around the world because of the pandemic, the new film will be streamed on Amazon Prime. It’s the latest in a remarkable career which includes voicing Donkey in the Shrek films, playing soul singer James “Thunder” Early in Dreamgirls and playing multiple characters again in two Nutty Professor films. But he insisted you won’t see the real Eddie Murphy on screen in any of his characters.
He said: “I feel like the real me is totally separate to the person you see on screen. I don’t think I’ve ever really been just myself on screen.”
For fans of Beverly Hills Cop – it looks like a fourth instalment will happen after the Covid pandemic. The third film was released in 1994 and like Coming 2 America, Eddie admitted he’d been talking about another crack at Axel Foley, the wisecracking cop. He said: “We’re closer than we have ever been to getting it done. I feel really good about it, but we’ll have to see what happens after the pandemic. We’ll see.”
Speaking of the pandemic, it seems Eddie has been enjoying family time with his fiancée Paige Butcher, who he’s been dating since 2012 and their two children.
He said: “Like everyone else, I have been home with the family just staying safe and recharging my batteries. I feel lucky to be in a good spot.”
Coming 2 America is streaming today on Amazon Prime Video.
James Earl Jones as King Jaffe:
BUDDHIST monks who run a peace centre have hit out at plans for two shooting ranges next door – and claim the machine gun fire will destroy their calm haven.
Monks at the Kagyu Samye Ling monastery say their “precious haven of peace and harmony” will be “caught in the noise of gunfire” and have asked the public to back their fight.
The world-famous retreat, at Eskdalemuir in Dumfriesshire, has attracted thousands of visitors looking for spiritual guidance since it was founded in the 60s – including rock icon David Bowie.
But leaders say two applications lodged with Dumfries and Galloway Council for target shooting ranges at nearby Clerkhill and Over Cassock farms could be disastrous for their future if granted.
Lama Yeshe Rinpoche said: “I will do anything to request and persuade these people not to bring firing ranges and shoot animals close to Samye Ling.”
The neighbouring farms are seeking council permission for longdistance ranges where high-powered 50 calibre weapons can be used to fire at targets up to two miles away. The closest, at Clerkhill, will be less than two miles from Samye Ling.
Yesterday, Samye Ling’s spiritual leaders urged the public to lodge objections with the local authority before the deadline of March 18.
A statement said: “A Buddhist sacred place and seat of learning for
Haven of peace and harmony is under threat KAGYU SAMYE LING LEADERS OBJECT
pilgrims from around the world, Samye Ling also attracts thousands of visitors of all faiths and walks of life.
“Now our precious haven of peace and harmony is under threat of being caught in the noise of gunfire, midway between two high-velocity gun firing ranges. Planning permission is not yet granted but shooting has already begun.”
Samye Ling says the noise pollution from the sites will not only disturb the peace at their retreat, home to around 50 monks, nuns and laypeople, but the shooting will have an impact on the environment.
Lama Yeshe Rinpoche added: “We have a lot of very tame birds in Samye Ling. It’s like a peaceful sanctuary for them.”
A spokeswoman for Gardners Guns and Clerkhill Farm said a shooting range had been operated for years in the area and the current application was an opportunity to expand and boost the economy.
She added: “We have had letters of support from a number of businesses in the area.”
The applicant at Over Cassock farm did not respond.