Looking back on his long career in showbiz, Eddie Murphy has declared that he will no longer perform any stunts.
The famous actor and comedian is reprising his role in “Beverly Hills Cop” a full 40 years after the original film was released, and in an interview that aired on Tuesday, he said he’s keenly aware of how different filming scenes has become these days.
“I did ‘Beverly Hills Cop’ when I was 21, and now I’m 63,” he said on the “Today” show on June 18.
He joked that filming his new Netflix movie “Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F” made him “feel like an old man,” so he decided to do things a little differently.
TODAY’s Al Roker spoke with Eddie Murphy about returning to his role as Detective Axel Foley in the fourth installment of the “Beverly Hills Cop” series, co-starring with his own daughter in a movie, and more. pic.twitter.com/v5Se793PfH
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) June 18, 2024
Murphy has very specific ideas about how he plans to implement this new change.
“I don’t want to do stunts now. I was shooting something and the director said, ‘I want you to get out of here and run down those stairs,'” Murphy recalled. “And then we finished and the director said, ‘Can you hurry up and get down faster?’ And I said, ‘No!'”
He acknowledged that continuing to tackle the scene in the same way as he did when he was younger is no longer viable.
“I was like, ‘I’m not doing any action!'” he said.
LOS ANGELES, CA – JANUARY 17: Eddie Murphy attends the Los Angeles Premiere of Netflix’s “You People” at the Regency Village Theatre on January 17, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic)
“Don’t call me unless you have something to offer me that’s similar to what you’d offer Morgan Freeman,” Murphy said. (Related: Multiple people injured on set of Eddie Murphy’s ‘The Pickup’: Reports)
Murphy has become synonymous with his role on the series, and his latest film, “Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F,” premieres on Netflix on July 3.
