Eddie Murphy is a well-known actor and comedian who rose to fame with his prominent performance in the comedy genre. However, it may come as a surprise to know that one of Murphy’s breakthrough roles was not initially intended for him. The film in question is Trading Places, which was originally meant for comedic duo Richard Pryor and Gene Wilder. Trading Places’ director John Landis provided further insights into the casting of Eddie Murphy in the film.
John Landis On The Original Casting Of Trading Places
The creators of Trading Places initially developed the script with Richard Pryor and Gene Wilder in mind, envisioning a hilarious and lucrative collaboration. Pryor and Wilder were highly sought-after comedic talents back in the day. The project aimed to capitalize on the chemistry and comedic genius of the acclaimed duo.
However, unfortunate circumstances, including Pryor’s severe injury, altered the course of casting, ultimately paving the way for Eddie Murphy’s breakthrough. Landis shared that he was unaware of the Dolemite Is My Name star’s existence back in the day.
“The script was developed for Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor. And when I was sent the script, Richard Pryor, unfortunately, had his accident where he burnt himself rather badly, and they sent it to me and said, ‘What do you think?’ 48 Hours hadn’t come out yet, but they’d previewed it, and Eddie Murphy had previewed very well, and they thought, ‘Ah this kid’s going to be a star,’ So they said, ‘What do you think about Eddie Murphy playing the Billy Ray Valentine part?’ And I of course said, ‘Who’s Eddie Murphy?’ Because I didn’t watch Saturday Night Live since John [Belushi] had died.”
John Landis On Maker’s Dissatisfaction With Eddie Murphy’s Casting In Trading Places
Landis added that the makers were not happy with the replacement of Richard Pryor and Gene Wilder by Dan Aykroyd and Eddie Murphy as both the replacements were pretty unknown at that time. The director of Trading Places shared that Aykroyd’s recent releases of that time didn’t perform well in their theoretical run while Murphy’s 48 Hrs. was not even released at the time of casting.
“So I read the script, and I saw Eddie’s tapes, and went to New York and met with Eddie. And they wanted — I won’t tell you who they wanted me to cast — but the studio was very unhappy with almost everybody they wanted me to cast… So he reduced his price quite a bit, and I got him, so I had Dan Aykroyd and Eddie Murphy, and they were upset because Danny hadn’t — his last couple of pictures hadn’t done well, and Eddie was still an unknown really. ‘48 Hours’ came out while we were shooting.”
The duo of Aykroyd and Murphy however shocked everyone with their remarkable performance in the film. The unintended casting decision ultimately proved to be a fortuitous one, leaving an indelible mark on the audience.
Trading Places is available on Amazon Prime Video.
Source: Insider
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