Eddie Murphy was warned by Sidney Poitier not to start in “Malcolm X.”
During an interview for Apple TV +’s “number one on the conversation: Black Leading but in Hollywood,” Murphy revealed that he came across Poitier and stated that he had been contacted to play Alex Haley in the movie in 1992 when Norman Jewison was linked to the movie before Spike Lee took over. Poitier was so against him talking Murphy out of the role.
“They talked about doing ‘Malcolm X’, Murphy said.” Norman Jewison put it together. They would use ‘The Autobiography of Malcolm X’ by Alex Haley. And they contacted me to play Alex Haley. About the same time I encountered Sidney Poitier on something, and I asked him: ‘Yes, I’m going to play Alex Haley!’ And Sidney Poitier said, “You’re not Denzel (Washington), and you’re not Morgan (Freeman).
He continued, “” I didn’t know if it was an insult or compliment. I was like “what?”
Murphy speculated the reason why Poitier was so stuck for him to avoid the role “Malcolm X” was because he was “something kind of new.” He reasoned that the actor was not sure how he would advise up-and-with-from.
“They had no reference for me, they couldn’t give me advice, because I was 20, 21 years old, and my audience was mainstream – the whole world,” Murphy said. “My movies (each) all over the world, and they had never had it with a young black person. So no one could give me advice, really. Everything broke really big and really fast.”
Washington went on to serve a best actor Oscar nomination for his role in “Malcolm X” after Lee took over.
“Number one on the call sheet: Black Leading Men in Hollywood” is a two-part documentary project from director Reginald Hudlin (also behind Oprah Winfrey-produced 2022 documentary about Poitier, “Sidney”). The Apple TV+ documentary maps the Hollywood story for limit -breaking black male actors such as Poitier and Murphy and how they mapped the way for black actors working today.
