Eddie Murphy told Marc Maron on his WTF podcast that a string of "sh**ty" films led to his years-long hiatus from movie appearances.
Following the disappointing A Thousand Words, the comedy legend only appeared in one film between 2012 and 2018, which was the 2016 drama, Mr. Church. Murphy said a string of critical and box office disappointments led to his break from acting until 2019's Dolemite Is My Name.
"I was making sh**ty movies," Murphy admitted. "I was like, 'This s*** ain't fun. They're giving me Razzies."
The Emmy and Golden Globe winner stated that his wins at the Golden Raspberry Awards -- a parody award show for the worst films -- influenced him to step away. Eddie Murphy has received a total of 10 Razzie nominations, including three wins for Norbit with "Worst Actor," "Worst Supporting Actor," and "Worst Supporting Actress."
"Motherf****** gave me the ‘Worst Actor Ever’ Razzie," Murphy said, referring to the "Worst Actor of the Decade" title he received in 2010. "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, but I don't want the last bunch of s*** they see me do [be] bull****."
Eddie Murphy said his comeback plan was to do the Dolemite film, followed by a hosting gig at Saturday Night Live, and then Coming 2 America. He added that he was going to make his anticipated return to stand-up but the COVID-19 pandemic delayed those plans. The Oscar nominee said he still plans to return to stand-up but is unsure of when he'll be able to.
Source: WTF Podcast
