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Eddie Murphy Was Told Not to Star in ‘Malcolm X’ by Sidney Poitier: ‘You Are Not Denzel. You Are Not Morgan. You’re a Breath of Fresh Air. Don’t F— With That!’
Eddie Murphy says Sidney Poitier told him not to star in "Malcolm X" because he is not Denzel Washington or Morgan Freeman.
Eddie Murphy revealed during an interview for the Apple TV+ documentary “Number One on the Call Sheet: Black Leading Men in Hollywood” (via Entertainment Weekly) that Sidney Poitier advised him not to star in “Malcom X,” which was originally being put together by Poitier’s “In the Heat of the Night” director Norman Jewison before Spike Lee took over and cast Denzel Washington in the lead role. With Spike Lee behind the camera and Washington in the lead role, “Malcolm X” earned critical acclaim and box office success. Murphy would get his shot at more dramatic roles years later in films like “Dreamgirls,” which earned him an Oscar nomination for best supporting actor.
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