Eddie Murphy, Sidney Poitier, and Denzel Washington are three of the greatest Black actors to ever grace the silver screen. Widely considered one of the greatest comedians of all time, Murphy rose to fame as a stand-up comic and on Saturday Night Live before becoming a movie star during the 1980s and 1990s, starring in several successful studio comedies. However, it wasn’t until 2007 that Murphy earned an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in the musical drama, Dreamgirls.
On the other hand, Sidney Poitier was the first African American actor to be nominated for and to win the Academy Award for Best Actor, for The Defiant Ones in 1959 and Lilies of the Field in 1964, respectively. Poitier remained the only one to win the award until 38 years later, when Denzel Washington won for 2001’s Training Day. Coincidentally, Washington won on the same night that Poitier received an Honorary Oscar. However, years earlier, Murphy and Washington almost starred together in a biopic, but it was Poitier who advised against it.
Sidney Poitier Advised Eddie Murphy Not To Star In Malcolm X
“You Are Not Denzel [Washington],” He Told Him
Sidney Poitier advised Eddie Murphy not to star in Malcolm X, telling him, “You are not Denzel [Washington].” Directed by Spike Lee, based on The Autobiography of Malcolm X by Alex Haley, the 1992 biopic stars Washington as the тιтular African-American activist and chronicles his early life as a small-time gangster to his ministry as a member of the Nation of Islam and his eventual ᴀssᴀssination. The movie also stars Angela Bᴀssett, Albert Hall, Al Freeman Jr., and Delroy Lindo.
In Apple TV’s new documentary, Number One on the Call Sheet: Black Leading Men in Hollywood, Eddie Murphy opened up about how Sidney Poitier advised him to star in Malcolm X. The movie was originally going to be directed by Norman Jewison, having previously directed Poitier on In the Heat of the Night, who cast Washington before Spike Lee took over as director. Murphy was approached about playing Alex Haley, but Poitier advised against it, telling him, “You are not Denzel [Washington].” Read Murphy’s full story below:
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. 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 ҒUCҜ with that!”
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.
What Sidney Poitier’s Advice Meant For Eddie Murphy
He Didn’t Know If It “Was An Insult Or A Compliment”
Eddie Murphy admits that he “didn’t know” if Sidney Poitier’s advice “was an insult or a compliment,” but he clearly didn’t put him in the same category as Denzel Washington or Morgan Freeman. It’s understandable since, at the time, Murphy wasn’t known as a dramatic actor, as his Oscar nod for Dreamgirls didn’t come until 2007. In the end, Spike Lee’s Malcolm X didn’t even feature Alex Haley as a character. It’s unclear if Poitier’s advice had any effect on Eddie Murphy, but it could have contributed to him continuing to star in comedies for well over the next decade.
Malcolm X was nominated for two Oscars – Best Actor in a Leading Role for Denzel Washington and Best Costume Design for Ruth E. Carter.
Source: Number One on the Call Sheet: Black Leading Men in Hollywood
