Eddie Murphy Missed Out on 'Malcolm X' Role After Legendary Actor Sidney Poitier Reminded Funnyman He Is 'Not' Oscar Winners Denzel Washington or Morgan Freeman
Eddie Murphy reveals he didn't audition for a role because of puzzling advice Sidney Poitier gave him.
April 4 2025, Published 6:00 p.m. ET
Funnyman Eddie Murphy has opened up about declining to audition for a major movie role after legendary actor Sidney Poitier reminded him he's "not" Oscar-winner Denzel Washington or Morgan Freeman, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
The Shriek star confessed he wasn't sure if Poitier's advice was "an insult or a compliment," but he ultimately decided to pass on the role.
Murphy was in talks to play Alex Haley in the 1992 film 'Malcolm X.'
Murphy recalled the puzzling interaction during an interview for the new AppleTV+ documentary Number One on the Call Sheet: Black Leading Men in Hollywood.
The Beverly Hills Cop star explained: "They were talking about doing Malcolm X. Norman Jewison was putting it together. They were gonna use The Autobiography of Malcolm X by Alex Haley. And they approached me about playing Alex Haley."
He noted he was still considering playing the part when he "bumped into" the Lilies of the Field star.
Poitier advised him again taking the role because he was 'not' Washington or Freeman.
Excited about the potential role, Murphy recalled: "I asked him, 'Yeah, I'm thinking about playing Alex Haley!'"
It was then that Poitier shot down the idea entirely.
Murphy continued: "And Sidney Poitier said, 'You are not Denzel (Washington), and you are not Morgan (Freeman).
"You are a breath of fresh air, and don't f--- with that!'"
The Beverly Hills Cop star added: "I didn't know if it was an insult or a compliment. I was like, 'What?'"
Washington had recently won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in Glory three years earlier in 1989 and Freeman had starred in several films but was still emerging as a leading actor. He would go on to star in the 1994 critically acclaimed film The Shawshank Redemption two years after Malcom X was released in 1992, and eventually win an Oscar for 2005's Million Dollar Baby.
Ironically, Jewison ended up casting Washington, who he previously worked with in 1984's A Soldier's Story, to portray the human rights activist in the 1992 hit film – Spike Lee ultimately took over as director of the film.
Washington was ultimately cast to play Malcolm X in the film.
As it turns out, when Lee took over the project, the role of Haley was nixed altogether, though they still used the author's book as the primary source for the film.
While pondering why Poitier advised against him taking on the role, Murphy noted he was in "uncharted waters" at the time.
He explained: "I was in uncharted waters. For Sidney and all those guys, when I showed up, it was something kinda new.
"They didn't have a reference for me, they couldn't give me advice, 'cause I was 20, 21 years old, and my audience was the mainstream – all of everywhere.
"My movies (were) all around the world, and they had never had that with a young Black person. So nobody could give me advice, really. Everything broke really big and really fast."
Never Miss an
Daily updates from the heart of Hollywood, right to your inbox
By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you’re agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
Murphy confessed he didn't know if Poitier's advice was 'an insult or a compliment.'
Poitier wasn't the only legendary entertainer who gave Murphy advice.
The actor chucked as he recalled James Brown telling him to "stop cursing."
Murphy recalled: "He said, 'You wanna be in this business for a long time? Stop that cursing."
