4 months ago
Contrary to celebrated belief astatine nan time, comic-cum-actor Eddie Murphy didn’t time off nan 2007 Oscars hallway early aft losing retired connected a Best Supporting Actor statuette because he was a sore loser; rather, nan Dreamgirls star precocious revealed he departed because he didn’t want to beryllium nan target of pity each night.
“What happened was I was astatine nan Oscars, I had lost, and past group kept coming complete to maine and kept [patting] maine connected nan shoulder,” Murphy told Entertainment Weekly successful a caller question and reply while discussing his Netflix documentary Being Eddie. “Clint Eastwood came and rubbed my shoulder. And I was like, ‘Oh, no, no, I’m not gonna beryllium this feline each night. Let’s conscionable leave.’ I didn’t large wind out. I was like, ‘I’m not gonna beryllium nan sympathy feline each night.'”
The Saturday Night Live alum played James (Jimmy) “Thunder” Early successful nan Bill Condon written-directed philharmonic play à clef, a troubled R&B-soul vocalist whose characterization is simply a mashup of early performers for illustration Marvin Gaye and James Brown. The DreamWorks and Paramount movie, which takes inspiration from nan ’60s-founded Motown grounds explanation and its premier enactment The Supremes, featured an ensemble formed pinch Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Hudson, Beyoncé Knowles, Danny Glover, Anika Noni Rose and Keith Robinson.
That year, Murphy was nominated against Jackie Earle Haley for Little Children, Djimon Hounsou for Blood Diamond, Mark Wahlberg for The Departed and Alan Arkin for Little Miss Sunshine, who clinched nan prize. After applauding nan win, Murphy didn’t enactment to watch Hudson triumph her class (Best Supporting Actress) aliases to bask his costars’ medley of nan film’s 3 Best Original Song nominees, resulting successful speculation he was angered by his loss.
Murphy recalled that he knew Arkin, who died successful 2023, would triumph nan coveted grant because of his “hysterically funny” performance: “[Former DreamWorks CEO] Jeff Katzenberg invited maine complete to see Little Miss Sunshine six months earlier it came retired successful nan theaters, and I virtually watched nan movie and I watched Alan — and I hadn’t been nominated aliases thing yet — and I watched nan movie and I turned to Jeff afterwards and I said, ‘Now that capacity correct location is 1 of those performances that will bargain somebody’s Oscar.’ I said those nonstop words. I was like, ‘He could bargain somebody’s Oscar,’ past he stole mine.”
Clarifying lightheartedly, Murphy added, “No, I don’t consciousness for illustration he stole mine.”
