The Surprising Movie Eddie Murphy Calls His Best Role

Eddie Murphy is one of the most prolific comedic performers of the last several decades. The biggest Eddie Murphy movies of all time, from "Beverly Hills Cop" to "Shrek," make full use of his hilarious sensibilities, and while everyone undoubtedly has a film they love most from the actor, his favorite may catch some by surprise.

Murphy reflected on his career with The New York Times and revealed the role he loves the most. "'Nutty Professor' — that stuff is real," he explained. "Those makeups that Rick Baker did, that turn you into another person and there's no sign of me: I could walk in a room, and a person wouldn't even know it was me." The interviewer voiced how much they enjoyed Murphy's work in "Bowfinger," but the actor laid out his reasoning for why "Nutty Professor" holds a special place in his heart. "I like 'Bowfinger,' but I could think of 20 other actors that could have played that role. I can't think of another person that could do 'Nutty Professor,'" he continued.

There may be another reason why Murphy holds the film in such high esteem. After all, "The Nutty Professor" effectively saved Murphy's career in the 1990s after a string of box-office duds. The fact it's one of Murphy's finest performances and features so many moments of his comedic genius is just the icing on the cake. 

Eddie Murphy's fondness for "The Nutty Professor" is well-placed, and it's appropriate he gave a shoutout to Rick Baker, who picked up a trophy for best makeup at that year's Academy Awards. Murphy's not just wearing a fat suit to portray Professor Sherman Klump; he plays seven total characters throughout the film, all of whom have a different appearance. It's an ideal showcase for Murphy's talents, but anyone with an acting career spanning decades knows it can't all be hits. During his chat with The New York Times, Murphy took time to focus on some of the lower points of his filmography. 

2002's "The Adventures of Pluto Nash" is widely considered a sci-fi comedy that ruined Murphy's career. He knew it would be rough from the start, as he told the outlet, "I remember the first time we watched 'Pluto Nash,' I had my son Myles with me. He was probably about 8. Myles is sitting there with me, and the movie's all soft. Then at the end, it goes silent, and my little baby son goes, 'Corny' ... Even the baby knows it's corny." Unfortunately, Murphy had many critically-reviled films throughout the 2000s, and that's when Murphy knew he needed to change things up. 

Murphy somewhat retired from acting after a slew of flops, as he explained on the "WTF" podcast, "This s*** ain't fun. They're giving me Razzies ... Motherf****** gave me the 'worst actor ever' Razzie." Of course, Murphy bounced back with "Dolemite Is My Name" and more recently with the well-received "Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F." It's clear Murphy's still got it, and that shouldn't even be a question for anyone who could pull off the comedic feat of "The Nutty Professor."