Eddie Murphy has appeared in many classic films. But the legendary actor and comedian has also been in some real stinkers.
Murphy looked back on his career in an interview with Complex posted online Thursday, Aug. 7.
During a sit-down with the outlet’s “360 With Speedy” video series, while promoting his new Prime Video film The Pickup, Murphy looked back on his career.
The actor and comedian was asked to rank his four best films, which he found a little difficult after making so many movies he liked.
Related: Eddie Murphy Inks Three-Picture Deal With Amazon
Instead, Murphy flipped the script and said it was easier to list his worst movies.
He began with The Adventures of Pluto Nash. The sci-fi comedy was released in 2002 and turned out to be a box office bomb, ringing up just $7.1 million worldwide on a $100 million budget.
Murphy also mentioned Holy Man, a 1998 flop about an over-the-top televangelist that co-starred Jeff Goldblum. It earned $12 million at the box office against a $60 million budget.
Host Speedy Morman gave the comedian a suggestion for his next “worst” pick, the critically panned Norbit.
Murphy played multiple roles in the polarizing comedy — including the titular Norbit, his abusive and obese wife Rasputia, and an Asian man.
The comedy was released in 2007, immediately after Murphy received a best supporting actor Oscar nomination for his scene-stealing performance in Dreamgirls.
At the time, some Hollywood insiders were incensed that Murphy was appearing in Norbit, which they considered lowbrow, after cementing his status as an acclaimed dramatic actor.
Critics panned the film, calling it “crass” and “depressing,” while Entertainment Weekly described it as “Oscar poison” for frontrunner Murphy.
The comedian mentioned the Oscars controversy in the Complex interview and said he disagreed with the awards season purists.
“I love Norbit. You know, Norbit came out right after I got the Oscar nomination. There were articles like, ‘How can he get an Oscar?! He did this,'” Murphy said. “No, that’s two different movies.”
Murphy also noted that Norbit landed him three Razzie Awards for worst performances of the year.
“I was like, ‘C’mon man. S—t ain’t that bad,'” he said jokingly. “They was just hatin’ on a n—a.”
Alan Arkin took home the supporting actor Oscar that year for Little Miss Sunshine.
Murphy took home the bag after Norbit grossed $159 million at the worldwide box office. The comedian produced the film, came up with the idea, and co-wrote the script.
Back to that top four list — Murphy said he’s proud of Coming to America, The Nutty Professor, Shrek, and of course, Dreamgirls.
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