Supported by

By David Marchese

Eddie Murphy has been so well-known for so long, occupying such a high position in the cultural landscape, that it can be easy to see how revolutionary his figure really is.

Let’s start, like Murphy’s career, with stand-up. There have been stellar comedians before (Steve Martin, Richard Pryor), but none exploded with Murphy’s speed or intensity. Arrogant, magnetic and capable of jumping between a soft and private narrative and a debatable and decidedly anti-PC story. Materially, he and forgive me for the combination of disciplines, a rock star. “Eddie Murphy: Raw,” released in 1987 when he was just 26, remains the highest-grossing stand-up stand-up. film of all time. The scale of his good luck and the fact that he pulled it off without dullness redefined what a comic book can do, paving the way for the likes of Kevin Hart and Chris Rock.

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Youtube | Amazon Music | NYT Audio App

Of course, he also set his attractions on television. When Murphy came to “Saturday Night Live” in 1980, he thought the show was about to be canceled. On the strength of his air of mystery and instantly iconic, hilarious and unpredictable recurring characters like his grumpy Gumby and M. Rogers parody Mr. Robinson, Murphy has brought the series back to life. It can be very credibly argued that without it, television’s most reliable comedy star-making device might not have made it to its 10th birthday, let alone its 50th birthday.

But Murphy left his biggest mark on film, where he reached new heights for black comedians and performers in terms of popularity and profitability. He helped pioneer the action comedy genre with his hilarious improv performances in films such as “Beverly Hills Cop” and “48 Hours. “And then, in the mid-1990s, after a slight decline in his career, he moved on to familiar films like “Shrek” and “The Wacky Professor” (one of several comedies in which Murphy masterfully played other characters), and continued. to achieve gigantic successes.

All this is to say that American pop culture was different after the arrival of Eddie Murphy. Now he’s returning to the character who introduced his career into the stratosphere with “Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F,” which arrives on Netflix on July 3. It comes 40 years after the first film in the series, in which Murphy plays the role of the sensible man. Detective Axel Foley. Obviously he is comfortable with this role and with himself. In recent years, Murphy has had a somewhat enigmatic presence off-screen, but, as I discovered during our two long conversations in the spring, he can be open and relaxed. He couldn’t wait to look back on what he’d accomplished, share some Hollywood stories, why stand-up no longer appeals to him, and reveal the dream task he was never able to accomplish.

Thank you for your patience while we determine access. If you’re in gamer mode, exit and log into your Times account or subscribe to the full Times.

Thank you for your patience while we determine access.

Already subscribed?  Log in.

Do you want all the Times?  Subscribe.

Advertisement