Eddie Murphy and Arsenio Hall said they were forced to put a white actor in the original “Coming to America” - and they weren’t kidding. (Watch the video below.)
Asked by Jimmy Kimmel this week how comical Louie Anderson got his role on the 1988 hit, Hall replied, “I love Louie, but I think we were forced to put Louie in it. … We were forced to deploy a white man. “
Murphy added that the studio, Paramount, made its mandate clear: “The entire cast is Black – and this was in the ’80s – so it was like,’ We need a white! There must be a white person in the movie. ‘ What? So it was, ‘Who’s the funniest white guy out there?’ And Louie, we knew, we were cool with him. So that’s how Louie got into the movie. “
But the two stars didn’t have, ahem, carte blanche, to choose at will, Hall recalled.
“It was official,” said Hall. ‘I had a list. They gave me a list of three white guys. And they said, “Who would you rather work with?” I said Louie. “
Anderson tweeted “wait what?” after Murphy made similar comments last month. Anderson played fast food associate Maurice in the original and returns in the sequel, “Coming 2 America.”
Murphy and Hall, of course, reprise their roles as Prince Akeem and Semmi. “Coming 2 America” starts streaming on Amazon Prime on Friday.
Fast forward to 8:20 for the co-stars’ comments on Anderson:
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