‘You People’ Stars Eddie Murphy and Julia Louis-Dreyfus Reunite for the 1st Time Since 1984
Many celebrities got their start on NBC’s Saturday Night Live. Some may not remember, but Eddie Murphy and Julia Louis-Dreyfus were once cast members on the late-night comedy skit show. The two now star together in the Netflix movie You People.
The last time Murphy and Louis-Dreyfus were seen on-screen together was in 1984, during Murphy’s final season on SNL.
Rom-com ‘You People’ is receiving positive reviews
You People is a romantic comedy that premiered on Netflix on January 27, 2023. Kenya Barris (Black-ish creator) directed the romantic comedy and Jonah Hill co-wrote it.
Hill also stars as Ezra Cohen, a Jewish guy who falls in love with the woman of his dreams, Amira Mohammad (Lauren London), who happens to be black. The couple gets engaged, and cultures clash when they meet each other’s families.
Eddie Murphy and Nia Long play Amira’s parents. Julia Louis-Dreyfus and David Duchovny are Ezra’s mom and dad. The two families do not see eye-to-eye to say the least. The couple not only has to deal with cultural issues but also generational differences and societal expectations.
Eddie Murphy and Julia Louis-Dreyfus on ‘Saturday Night Live’
The early ’80s was a great time for Saturday Night Live. Those years introduced the world to Billy Crystal, Martin Short, Jim Belushi, Joe Piscopo, plus Murphy and Louis-Dreyfus.
Murphy joined the cast in 1980 and soon became a break-out star with his super-funny skits such as Gumby, Mr. Robinson’s Neighborhood, and Buckwheat.
In 2019, 35 years after he left the late-night show, the comedian finally returned as host and brought along some of his old characters. His return was called “triumphant.”
Louis-Dreyfus came to Saturday Night Live in 1982 at only 21 years old, two years into Murphy’s run. The two shared skits, one being Hairem Scarem: Hair Horror Stories.
The Seinfeld actor played many parts in her short time at SNL but admitted to Andy Cohen on Radio Andy that she did not enjoy her time there during the “male-dominated” years. She left the show in 1985.
Murphy and Louis-Dreyfus are back together in You People. The Coming to America actor told ET of their reunion, “So we were little babies, and then both of our careers went and did, you know, and [now] I’m on the set with her these 40 years later!”
The Veep actor was happy to be back with her old castmate. She joked he must have made a “deal with the devil” because “he looks exactly the same as he did when we were on SNL back in the ’80s. I mean, he looks amazing!”
Eddie Murphy and Julia-Louis Dreyfus both became very successful after ‘Saturday Night Live’
Murphy left SNL in 1984 to pursue a movie career, and that career took off immediately. His first film, 48 Hours, with Nick Nolte, was a critical and commercial success. He followed that up with his role as Axel Foley in Beverly Hills Cop, which made him a box-office superstar and spawned two sequels.
His movies in the late ’80s/early ’90s weren’t his greatest successes, but he came back in 1996 with The Nutty Professor and the classic Coming to America.
As Murphy matured and became a father (10 children!), he settled into family-friendly roles and was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for Dreamgirls.
In 1989, Louis-Dreyfus got the role that made her a household name, Elaine Benes on Seinfeld. The NBC sitcom is one of the most popular of all time and ran for nine seasons. Through syndication and streaming, generations love the hilarity of Jerry, George, Elaine, and Kramer.
Louis-Dreyfus went on to star in the series, The New Adventures of Old Christine, for five seasons. She then gained critical acclaim as US Vice President Selina Meyer in the HBO hit Veep. The now-62-year-old won six primetime Emmy awards for the role.
