Eddie Murphy's dark side, his acting career in the gutter and his disdain for the Oscars

Eddie Murphy caught the attention of the entertainment world as he rose to prominence in comedy and quickly became one of the youngest cast members on Saturday Night Live. Throughout the 1980s, Murphy successfully transformed himself from a raunchy stand-up comedian into a star in films like 48 Hours, Coming to America and Beverly Hills Detectives, The 1996 remake of "The Fat Professor" grossed $273 million worldwide, and in the 2000s he branched out into more family-friendly films, including a leading role in "Dad's Squad" and voiceover the donkey in the "Shrek" series

After years of being a star in Hollywood, Murphy's hits have dwindled, so what happened to make Hollywood stop casting him

Some of Eddie Murphy's movies have flopped

Eddie Murphy got off to a good start in the early 2000s, continuing to establish himself on the front lines with The Fat Professor 2 and Shrek Forever After, however, the actor then brought on board The Adventures of the Stars in 2002 and we have to wonder what on earth he was thinking, a sci-fi comedy that reportedly took nearly 20 years to make, in part due to script and casting changes, The futuristic comedy scored just 4% and was named one of the biggest epic flops, with Warner Bros. investing $100 million in the film and taking in just $7.1 million at the box office

Eddie Murphy took it in stride, poking fun at the film's poor performance during a question-and-answer session with the cast in 2016. Murphy's career hasn't really recovered yet, but at least he's accepted the massive failure

Eddie Murphy is tired of making bad movies, which is understandable

So how did Murphy go from No. 41 on Forbes' celebrity list to someone who the media would later point out was in desperate need of a career reinvention? It could be attributed to the fact that comedy had radically changed his entire image, a fixation that gradually sunk his career in Hollywood, which, however, may have stopped casting Murphy in part because of his own picky nature. He admitted that he wouldn't accept a script that wasn't perfect because he didn't want to be criticized by anyone anymore

He is not eager for a promotion or a raise

With a net worth of $160 million, Eddie Murphy would never accept a screen role just to make money. Instead, he chooses a script he likes. For example, the 2016 comedy Mr. Church grossed less than $1 million at the box office, but Murphy agreed simply because he liked the story. Murphy echoed the same point when the mag asked if he'd be joining Arnold Schwarzenegger in Triplets, the sequel to 1988's Twins, unless the script is so good and Schwarzenegger also announced Murphy at the 2018 forum, what's wrong with Murphy being critical, as long as it revives his career

Eddie Murphy stepped back to write the script

Maybe Hollywood won't cast Eddie Murphy again because he's too busy in his own little world. In 2015, Murphy wrote a superhero project called Buck Wonder. On top of that, Murphy is making a movie about two brothers who inherit a black circus. Let's just say that the man has been extremely busy, and this isn't the first time Murphy has written a script. He once worked with his late brother Charlie Murphy, as well as Jay Sherrick and David Rohn, on the 2007 comedy Norbit, which grossed $33.7 million in three days despite poor ratings, After so many films, Murphy also seems comfortable behind the camera

Eddie Murphy was dismissive of the Oscars

Eddie Murphy was nominated for a best supporting Actor Oscar in 2007 for his role as James Thunder in Dreamgirls. At the time, he had already taken home the Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Awards, so winning an Oscar was the icing on the cake. Unfortunately, Murphy was disappointed when veteran actor Alan Arkin finally won an Oscar for Little Miss Sunshine. He and his then-girlfriend Tracy Edmonds did not attend the dinner afterwards. "It's okay, it happens in Hollywood," Murphy said afterwards.

Eddie Murphy always had a retirement plan

In 2008, he had a plan to make films until he was 50. At that point, Murphy was less than two years away from turning 50. Then, after that milestone birthday, he announced that he was returning to the stage. However, it also meant he had to take a back seat and show off his comedic chops

After returning to the stage for a while, Murphy had to give up stand-up comedy because it was no longer funny. Murphy was tired of telling jokes and being just one of many comedians. He was unhappy with the state of the comedy scene, saying: "How do you have a voice when I started with 100 comedians and now there are 100,000", and eventually, the comedian has jumped back into the world of film

Did the critics make Eddie Murphy disappear

Is it really the showbiz's fault that Eddie Murphy has disappeared from the spotlight? Yes, at least according to an article published in 2016. Film critic Richard Brody slammed the actor's film Mr. Church as repulsing for its dehumanizing views. Brody argued that after Murphy became a top Hollywood actor, The film industry has downplayed him, claiming that he hasn't made anything of substance, the new era of rational and moral comedy runs counter to everything Murphy has built, and, in short, the comedy game has changed, while Murphy has struggled to find the right film-makers to make the most of his art

Is Eddie Murphy ready to return to Hollywood

Hollywood has fallen out of love with Eddie Murphy in recent years, but that doesn't mean his career is over. In July 2020, Murphy struck a $70 million deal with the streaming giant for a comedy special. Not much has been revealed about the special so far, but if it's as funny as his previous comedies, And we wouldn't be surprised to see Eddie Murphy ruling the box office again in the near future