Eddie Murphy remembers Robin Williams and John Belushi doing coke in Blues Bar

NME

Eddie Murphy has recalled a time early in his career when he declined cocaine from John Belushi and Robin Williams.

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In a recent interview with The New York Times, the actor reflected on an interaction he had at the Blues Bar, run by Belushi and Dan Aykroyd, when he was 19 years old.

“It was me, Belushi, and Robin Williams,” he said. “They start doing coke, and I was like, ‘No, I’m cool.’ I wasn’t taking some moral stance. I just wasn’t interested in it. To not have the desire or the curiosity, I’d say that’s providence. God was looking over me in that moment.”

Murphy, who will soon be reprising his iconic role in Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F, also touched on the various pressures he felt at the time.

“When you get famous really young, especially a Black artist, it’s like living in a minefield,” he explained.

“Any moment something could happen that can undo everything. It was like, all of this stuff is going on, and I’m totally oblivious. Now, at this age, I can look back and be like, ‘Wow, I came through a minefield for 35 years.’”

In the same interview, Murphy cited Elvis Presley as an influence but also a tragic figure – saying: “I was totally in my Elvis trip [around the time he filmed Raw and the ‘Delirious’ TV special]. And when I got older, it was like, oh, my God, Elvis wasn’t cool at all.”

He holds the likes of Presley, Michael Jackson, and Prince in a similar regard, saying: “Those guys are all cautionary tales for me. I don’t drink. I smoked a joint for the first time when I was 30 years old — the extent of drugs is some weed.”

Elsewhere, he has teased that Shrek 5 could be coming as soon as 2025, complete with a Donkey spin-off film.

“We started doing Shrek 4 or [Shrek] 5 months ago. I did this, I recorded the first act, and we’ll be doing it this year, we’ll finish it up,” he shared in a recent interview.

“Shrek is coming out, and Donkey’s gonna have his own movie. We’re gonna do Donkey as well. So we’re gonna do a Shrek, and we’re doing a Donkey [movie].”

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