DETAILS: Do you think Murphy will ever tour again?Chris Rock: Barring financial ruin, I don’t think so. I think we’ll see a Richard Pryor hologram on tour before we see Eddie Murphy.DETAILS: Does it bum you out to see him in less-than-successful films?Chris Rock: We all do stuff that doesn’t work. It bums me out when I’m at his house and he’s making a bunch of people laugh and it’s so effortless. His Obama impression? Amazing.
In a new interview with Details, Chris Rock gets on the subject of Eddie Murphy:What would you give to get to hang out at his house and see him be effortlessly funny? And what is it about movies that seem to sap all of the greatness out of Murphy? I, for one, would love to see him do a half-hour show on cable that would allow him the freedom to ignore notes and studios and whoever else whispers in his ear and tells him to make middle-of-the-road family fare. Someone would give him that, right? Total freedom to just be himself and hilarious, the type of hilarious he is when he’s not trying to please everybody.
But I suppose he’s in a place where he thinks TV is beneath him. He’s a movie star, after all. But how long will that still be the generally accepted wisdom? The majority of comedy movies suck these days, with nearly all interesting comedy being produced for TV. While Hollywood calculus still places the prestige, money and fame of movies above that of TV, the creative freedom and more specific audience of TV has got to count for something.
What I’m saying is: give Eddie Murphy the Louis CK deal. Somebody, please. People other than Chris Rock should get to see him at his best.
