Eddie Murphy Opens Up About the Three Roles He Wishes He Took

Eddie Murphy has been in movies for decades, but he says there are still a few choices he thinks about today. In a talk with The Associated Press, the actor said he once said no to some films that later became huge hits. He admitted that these missed chances sometimes stay in his mind.

Murphy explained that he passed on Ghostbusters, Rush Hour and Who Framed Roger Rabbit. He said, “Yeah, there’s a couple of movies. ‘Ghostbusters,’ I was supposed to do ‘Ghostbusters.’ Didn’t do that. And ‘Rush Hour.’ Didn’t do that. Oh, and ‘Who Framed Roger Rabbit.’ Those are my big three ‘wish I would have done’ movies.”

He also pointed out why they matter to him now, saying, “They were huge giant hits.”

These movies went on to earn major box office numbers. Ghostbusters became a major success in the 1980s and got a sequel.

Rush Hour turned into a franchise with two more movies. Who Framed Roger Rabbit also made strong profits and became a classic. Murphy said he skipped Ghostbusters because he was already taking on Beverly Hills Cop, and he didn’t think Who Framed Roger Rabbit sounded right for him at the time. He later realized he had misjudged it, saying, “And, afterwards, I was like, ‘Oh that’s f**** amazing.’”

Even with those regrets, Murphy still built a long and successful career. He starred in well-known films like The Nutty Professor and Dr. Dolittle, and his role in Dreamgirls earned him an Oscar nomination. He is now reflecting on all of this in the Netflix documentary Being Eddie.

He told The Hollywood Reporter that the film was first planned as a look at his return to stand-up comedy, but the pandemic stopped those plans. He explained, “Then COVID hit, and everything shut down. Afterwards, I was like, ‘I’m not sure if I want to do stand-up’ because I was paranoid about COVID.”

The documentary now follows his path from his teenage years to today. It also arrives as he celebrates 50 years in show business, which he says is a major milestone.

Murphy is also gearing up to return as Donkey in the next Shrek movie, which is set for release in 2027. Cameron Diaz and Mike Myers will come back as Fiona and Shrek, and Zendaya will join the cast. Murphy said voice work for Donkey is loud and tiring, adding, “You have a headache after a ‘Shrek’ session… You’re on 10, and you’re doing it over and over again.” Still, he said fans make it worth the effort because the films are so loved.

He also talked about how tough the movie business can be. He said, “Nothing’s worse than working really hard on something and doing makeup and sweat and all this s****, and then you put it out, and they’d be like, ‘Two thumbs down.’” According to him, bad reviews hit hardest when you’ve put in so much work.

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