The Eddie Murphy Performance That Ryan Gosling Didn’t Think Anything Could Top
Eddie Murphy has attracted many fans thanks to both his contributions to comedy and the film industry as a whole. Oscar-nominee Ryan Gosling once revealed that he was also a huge fan of the comedian. So much so there was one Eddie Murphy performance he felt that very few would be able to top.
Chris Rock once felt Eddie Murphy deserved multiple Oscars for his performances
Eddie Murphy has given his films many unforgettable characters. What makes his performances as these characters stand out has been Murphy’s ability to portray several different characters in the same film. The comic has used this ability in films like The Nutty Professor, Coming to America, Norbit, and several others.
Many reports, like one from Hollywood Suite, alleged that Peter Sellers inspired Murphy to play multiple roles. But comedian Chris Rock once felt that Murphy’s performances were a touch above Sellers’.
“Peter Sellers got tons of credit for doing multiple characters, but that was just him doing him. Eddie is all those wacky family characters he portrays in Coming to America and The Nutty Professor pictures. Eddie should have got multiple Oscars for the multiple characters that he played in those movies alone,” Rock once said according to New York Times.
The Eddie Murphy performance that Ryan Gosling didn’t think anything could top
Murphy is known for inspiring many younger comedians. Rock himself asserted that he and other comics might not have even been successful if it wasn’t for Murphy’s contributions.
“There would be no Chris Tucker, me, Martin Lawrence or any new young black comic today if Eddie hadn’t paved the way for us, especially in films,” Rock said. “Without Eddie, then Chris, Martin, and myself would have only have made as many movies in our career as Jude Law made the last three months.”
But it’s not just comedians that Murphy has inspired. The Beverly Hills Cops star has also seemed to inspire more dramatic actors as well. In a resurfaced interview with America Reads Spanish, actor Ryan Gosling talked about his admiration for Murphy’s work. The Blue Valentine star felt there was one performance in particular that would be hard for anyone to top.
“I mean to be able to play six characters at one time, at one table, and to create six different characters and have them all be different from one another and then be able to have the audience believe that they’re watching six different people at once is, to me, I don’t see how anything tops that. I mean any one character could top six so I admire him for doing that. I don’t think he gets a lot of credit for that but I think it’s very brave and experimental,” Gosling said.
Eddie Murphy Once Tricked Oprah Winfrey With His Performance
Murphy’s ability to disguise himself into different roles is so immersive that at times it can deceive others who personally know the actor. Speaking on Jimmy Kimmel Live, Murphy recalled a time when he did an interview with Oprah. While speaking to the iconic talk show host, he realized that she didn’t know he played one of his most memorable characters.
“A lot of people don’t know that’s us in those makeups,” Murphy said. “Last week, I was doing the other interview with Oprah and … I said something about the barbershop, and I’m that Jewish man — and she was like, ‘What do you mean, you’re the Jewish man?’ I said, ‘Oh yeah, I’m the old Jewish guy in the barbershop,’ she was like, ‘What?’ She couldn’t believe it. And she’s seen the original Coming to America and [its sequel] and all this time didn’t know.”
