Eddie Murphy = Will Smith
On Saturday, September 28, 2019 I read in The New York Times International Edition newspaper the story “Still Eddie Murphy, and then some,” about American actor-comedian Eddie Murphy’s return to film and to stand-up comedy with a lucrative Netflix deal. As a teenager on the Saturday Night Live television show in New York City, Murphy exploded into the entertainment business in the 1980s. He made two brilliant and famous television specials - Delirious, and Eddie Murphy Raw, and he appeared in several very successful films, including 48 Hrs. (1982), Trading Places (1983), Beverly Hills Cop (1984), and Coming to America (1988). Over the years he made a many more movies (nothing of the calibre or success of his 1980s work), he recorded and released some music, did some voice acting, and appeared briefly on an SNL anniversary show, but without performing any comedy. Since the 1990s his career has really slowed down. He never stopped working - acting and producing movie ideas among his friends - and giving interviews, etc., but he never recreated that 1980s notoriety. Until now, maybe. Recently, he premiered a brilliant movie at the Toronto Film Festival, Dolemite Is My Name, a biopic about comedian Rudy Ray Moore, and the rumours that he is planning to return to stand-up comedy with a Netflix special are confirmed. I’m looking forward to it.
I was talking about Murphy with some Japanese singers that I work with. They all knew Murphy’s name. However, it was quickly apparent that they did not know who Eddie Murphy is. They thought he appeared in “that alien movie.” “You mean, Men In Black?” I asked. “Yes!” “That’s Will Smith.”
So, Japanese don’t know the difference between Eddie Murphy and Will Smith. Maybe they look the same to them. Maybe all black men look alike to Japanese. Or, maybe they only look the same to the people I talked with. Furthermore, maybe many Americans confuse them as well, like some might confuse Samuel Jackson with Laurence Fishburne. Maybe it’s innocent confusion and name recognition clashing with face recognition. Or, or maybe it’s racism. In any event, I was surprised that the ladies I spoke with didn’t know the difference between Eddie Murphy and Will Smith.