Latest news with #BlackLeadingMeninHollywood
Khaleej Times
03-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Khaleej Times
Eddie Murphy recalls how Sidney Poitier advised him not to star in 'Malcolm X'
"Actor and comedian Eddie Murphy opened up about some advice Sidney Poitier once gave him that left him surprised. In Apple TV+'s new documentary, Number One on the Call Sheet: Black Leading Men in Hollywood, he said the Oscar winner advised him not to join the cast of 1992's Malcom X. The film was first directed by Norman Jewison, the director of Poitier's In the Heat of the Night, who cast Denzel Washington in the starring role before Spike Lee took over as director. "They were talking about doing Malcolm X," Murphy recalled. "Norman Jewison was putting it together. They were gonna use Th e Autobiography of Malcolm X by Alex Haley. And they approached me about playing Alex Haley. Around that same time, I bumped into Sidney Poitier at something, and I asked him, 'Yeah, I'm thinking about playing Alex Haley!' 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 [mess] with that!'." Murphy admitted he "didn't know" if Poitier's advice "was an insult or a compliment", but was just shocked to be compared to Washington and Freeman. "I was like, 'What?'" he added. In the documentary, Murphy also spoke about being different from the leading black men on the big screen. "I was in uncharted waters. For Sidney and all those guys, when I showed up, it was something kinda new," Murphy said, adding, "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." While Lee's Malcom X didn't include Haley as a character, the film ended up being a huge critical success, earning two Oscar nominations: best actor for Washington and best costume design for Ruth E. Carter, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Why Eddie Murphy Says Sidney Poitier Advised Him Not to Star in ‘Malcolm X'
Eddie Murphy is opening up about some advice Sidney Poitier once gave him that left him surprised. In Apple TV+'s new documentary, Number One on the Call Sheet: Black Leading Men in Hollywood, the Beverly Hills Cop actor shared that the Oscar winner told him not to star in 1992's Malcom X. At the time, the film was initially being helmed by Norman Jewison, Poitier's In the Heat of the Night director, who cast Denzel Washington in the lead role before Spike Lee took over as director. More from The Hollywood Reporter 'American Gangster' Drug Kingpin Frank Lucas to Be Focus of Documentary (Exclusive) George Clooney's 'Good Night and Good Luck' Sets New Record Weekly Gross for a Broadway Play 'Othello' Director Kenny Leon and Denzel Washington Are "Absolutely" Discussing a Potential Film Adaptation 'They were talking about doing Malcolm X,' Murphy recalled. '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. Around that same time, I bumped into Sidney Poitier at something, and I asked him, 'Yeah, I'm thinking about playing Alex Haley!' 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 fuck with that!'' Murphy admitted he 'didn't know' if Poitier's advice 'was an insult or a compliment,' but was just shocked to be compared to Washington and Freeman. 'I was like, 'What?'' he added. Elsewhere in Black Leading Men in Hollywood, Murphy speculated as to why Poitier didn't put him in the same group as Washington and Freeman. 'I was in uncharted waters. For Sidney and all those guys, when I showed up, it was something kinda new,' the Dreamgirls actor said. '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.' While Lee's Malcom X didn't include Haley as a character, the film ended up being a huge critical success, earning two Oscar nominations: best actor for Washington and best costume design for Ruth E. Carter. Best of The Hollywood Reporter The 10 Best Baseball Movies of All Time, Ranked 20 Times the Oscars Got It Wrong The Best Anti-Fascist Films of All Time
Yahoo
29-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Laurence Fishburne Says Francis Ford Coppola Was 'Disappointed' by His Lack of 'Sexual Experience' as a Teen When Filming ‘Apocalypse Now'
Laurence Fishburne is recalling an incident while filming 1979's Apocalypse Now that he said left director Francis Ford Coppola 'disappointed.' In Apple TV+'s new documentary Number One on the Call Sheet: Black Leading Men in Hollywood, the actor said his lack of 'sexual experience' as a teenager impacted a scene in the American epic war film. More from The Hollywood Reporter 'The Astronaut' Review: Kate Mara and Laurence Fishburne in a Creepy Sci-Fi Thriller That Loses Its Grip Francis Ford Coppola Gives a Scathing Response to Winning "Worst Director" for 'Megalopolis' Razzie Awards: 'Madame Web' Named Worst Picture, Nabs Two Other Trophies 'There's a scene in Apocalypse Now that got cut from the original film, and then it's been put back in the redux,' the Matrix star recounted. 'I was 14, 15, whatever, trying to do this scene talking about sex and I had no sexual experience. Like, none.' Fishburne continued, saying the Oscar-winning filmmaker 'couldn't figure out how to get me to be any more experienced than I am, but he kept asking me to do it over and over again. I did something like 40 takes. It was really bad. And I could tell that he was disappointed. So I was feeling really, really down, really dejected.' Despite feeling down over the on-set experience, the Black-ish alum remembered some uplifting words Apocalypse Now star Martin Sheen shared with him, which he claimed 'saved my life.' 'I heard Martin whisper in my ear, he said, 'Did anyone ever tell you you were a really good actor?'' Fishburne said. 'And I said, 'No.' He said, 'You're a really good actor.'' The actor added of Sheen, 'That's what being No. 1 on a call sheet is about for me.' Apocalypse Now, which won two Oscars, followed a U.S. Army officer serving in Vietnam who is tasked with assassinating a renegade Special Forces Colonel who has reportedly gone completely mad. While the incident wasn't Fishburne's fondest memory from one of his first movie roles, it seemingly didn't impact his relationship with Coppola as he's worked with the director on several other projects throughout his career, including Rumble Fish, The Cotton Club, Gardens of Stone, and most recently, Megalopolis. The Hollywood Reporter has reached out to Coppola's rep for comment. Best of The Hollywood Reporter The 10 Best Baseball Movies of All Time, Ranked 20 Times the Oscars Got It Wrong The Best Anti-Fascist Films of All Time
