“Sidney Poitier’s Bold Advice to Eddie Murphy: ‘You’re No Denzel or Morgan for This Role!'”

Eddie Murphy established his presence in Hollywood not only through humor but also by being exceptionally amusing — as one of the initial Black regular cast members on Saturday Night Live and in blockbuster films from the 1980s such as 48 Hours, Trading Places, and Beverly Hills Cop.

Even though he achieved his sole Oscar nomination — in the best supporting actor category — for a serious role in the 2006 musical film Dreamgirls, he primarily remained in the comedy sphere. As Murphy, now 63, discusses in the new two-part Apple TV+ documentary Number One on the Call Sheet, he was encouraged by none other than Oscar-winning cinematic icon Sidney Poitier to maintain that path (allowing Denzel Washington and Morgan Freeman to handle the dramatic weight).

“In the beginning, Sidney mentioned — I’m not sure if it was an affront or a praise, or something else,” he shares. “It was similar to… They were discussing creating Malcolm X. Norman Jewison was orchestrating it, and they intended to use The Autobiography of Malcolm X by [Roots creator] Alex Haley. And they approached me regarding portraying Alex Haley.”

Murphy continues: “And around that same period, I encountered Sidney Poitier at some event. I inquired, ‘Yeah, I’m considering playing Alex Haley.’ And Sidney Poitier replied [mimicking Poitier’s Bahamian accent], uh, ‘You are not Denzel, and you are not Morgan. You are a breath of fresh air. And don’t mess with that.’ And I was like, ‘What?’ ”

Previously, James Earl Jones had portrayed Haley in the pioneering 1977 TV miniseries Roots and its 1979 sequel Roots: The Next Generations, thus Murphy would have been in esteemed company. But evidently, he heeded Poitier’s counsel and turned down the role.

In the documentary, Murphy also reminisces about advice he gathered from Marlon Brando, former heavyweight boxing champion Larry Holmes (“Don’t forget your roots”) and Godfather of Soul James Brown. (Murphy parodied Brown on SNL, and his character in Dreamgirls, James Early, was reportedly inspired by Brown.)

“And James Brown told me, he asked me, he instructed me that I should cease swearing. He said [mimicking Brown’s gravelly voice], ‘If you want to be in this industry for a long time, you ought to quit that swearing.’ And he added, ‘You think you possess a million dollars?’ I responded, ‘Yes, I do.’ And he said, ‘You don’t possess a million dollars.’ He remarked, ‘If you genuinely have a million dollars, take it and bury it in the woods.’ ”

“And I said, ‘Why should I bury my money in the woods?’ ” Murphy proceeds. “He replied, ‘The government will seize it from you. So bury it.’ And I questioned, ‘But can’t the government take your land?’ And he said, ‘But they won’t know where the money is.’ That’s a true tale. That’s the type of guidance I used to receive.”

Murphy further explains that the “elders” faced challenges in providing him with meaningful advice as Hollywood had not previously witnessed a young, prosperous Black man recently out of adolescence. “I was in uncharted waters,” he states. “For Sidney and everyone from that era, when I arrived, it was something somewhat unprecedented. They didn’t have a reference point for me.”

Besides Murphy, other celebrities featured in the documentary — which dedicates one episode to “Black Leading Men in Hollywood” and another to “Black Leading Women in Hollywood” — include Washington, Freeman, Jamie Foxx, Will Smith, Viola Davis, Angela Bassett, and Whoopi Goldberg.

Number One on the Call Sheet debuts on March 28 on Apple TV+.