Eddie Murphy says he decided to take a break from acting after winning Razzies

Los Angeles, March 9

Hollywood star Eddie Murphy says he decided to take some time off films after winning multiple Razzie Awards, given to the worst movies and performances of the year.

The 59-year-old actor, known for films like “Dr Dolittle”, “Beverly Hills Cop” and his Golden Globe-winning turn in “Dreamgirls”, said the initial plan was to stay away from acting for a year but it soon turned into a six year-long hiatus.

Murphy returned to cinema with the critically acclaimed “Dolemite Is My Name” and he currently reprises his role of Akeem in “Coming 2 America”, the sequel to his 1988 hit.

“I was making s****y movies. I was like, ‘This s*** ain’t fun. They’re giving me Razzies… (So I thought), ‘Maybe it’s time to take a break’,” the actor said during an appearance on Marc Maron’s “WTF” podcast.

A nine-time Razzie Award nominee and three-time winner, Murphy was given a special prize for worst actor of the decade in 2010. He took a break from acting, only starring in the indie drama “Mr Church” between 2013 and 2018.

“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) b******t,” Murphy said.

“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 funny.” 

He rose to fame on the late-night sketch comedy show “Saturday Night Live” (“SNL”), for which he was a regular cast member from 1980 to 1984.

Last year, Murphy won his first Primetime Emmy Award for outstanding guest actor in a comedy series for hosting “SNL”. —PTI