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Murphy hand picked Academy Award-winner Cuba Gooding Jr.
to play Kate’s fiancé Deion Hughes. Gooding talks about his attraction
to working with Murphy, “I’m a huge Eddie Murphy fan. He is the draw
for me. My first role in a film was playing a boy in the barber shop in
Coming to America. It was a real small part and all my lines
were cut out. So, now, all these many years later, I have a bigger part
in an Eddie Murphy movie. It is just a thrill.”
“Years ago, when I say Raw, it was the first time
I realized that he was a comedian on the level of Richard Pryor and
Lenny Bruce. I was with my girlfriend, who's now my wife, and we
couldn’t believe how he hit home on so many different levels. I thought
he was brilliant. The fact that he could turn day-to-day things into
humorous banter was amazing to me.”
Cuba reveals Eddie unique acting abilities, “On the first
day of filming, Eddie walked on the set as an Asian guy, and nobody knew
it was Eddie, until he said, ‘It’s me. It's Eddie Murphy.’ Then all of
a sudden, you saw his energy illuminate on the set. It's that brilliance
that makes this movie stand out, because you don't recognize him in
these roles and people respond to him differently.
Eddie Griffin, who plays a street hustler named Pope
Sweet Jesus, also talks about his first day on the set. “Man, I'm
telling you, it is unbelievable. The special effects makeup and Eddie’s
characterization are so good. I'm sitting here talking to this Chinese
dude. I'm thinking this is a cool little Chinese cat and we chat for
like 30-minutes. Then they said, ‘Mr. Murphy, we ready for you on set’
and the Chinese dude gets up. I'm like, ‘Damn, I don’t believe this.’”
Funnyman Katt Williams sums it up, “Eddie Murphy is a
comic icon. To watch him work is like watching Michael Jordan play
basketball. You try to measure up, but it’s not possible. We can’t
fuss about our roles and getting hot in our suits, because Eddie’s
playing all these roles, wearing all this makeup and he’s not
complaining. He’s just doing his thing. He’s a real inspiration to all
of us in the comedy game.”
Clifton Powell was also hand picked by Eddie Murphy to
play Earl, one of the three Latimore brothers, who intimidates Norbit.
“Eddie chose me and I feel a moral obligation to do my best. Because if
he believes I’m the best person for the role, I have to come with my ‘A’
game. Eddie's process is fascinating to watch. He comes to the set very
prepared and he knows what he's doing.”
Murphy talks about casting Marlon Wayans to play a
hilarious aerobics instructor, “He mixes tap dancing with aerobics and
calls it Power Tap. It’s a wild take off on Billy Blanks, the Tae Bo
guru. Marlon is another one of the guys who adds to the comedy in the
picture. Everybody is very funny.” |
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