Eddie Murphy got an unexpected reality check while filming Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F and The Pickup when younger co-stars ad-libbed lines calling him an “old man” during action scenes.
The actor told Variety the off-the-cuff comments during fight sequences left him momentarily stunned.
“When I had fight scenes, during the fight scene, the actors, they were improvising and they were two young guys and both of them said, ‘Come on, old man!’ I almost said cut. I was like, ‘Who are they talking to?’ It’s like I’m the old guy in the fight scene,” he said.
The 64-year-old comedian, known for The Nutty Professor and voicing Donkey in Shrek, admitted the remarks caught him off balance.
“It’s strange. It caught me off guard. There was another scene and he was like, ‘You a crazy old man!’ I was like, ‘Hey!'”
Despite the jabs, Murphy insists he doesn’t feel his age. “I feel like me still – just a little stiffer,” he joked.
Murphy made his long-awaited return as Axel Foley in Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F, the fourth installment in the action-comedy franchise, which dropped last year after a three-decade gap.
He also co-stars with Pete Davidson and Keke Palmer in The Pickup, a heist flick released earlier this month.
And he’s not slowing down. Murphy is set to reprise his role as Donkey in Shrek 5, which will also include a spin-off centered on the wisecracking character. He’s also stepping into the shoes of Inspector Clouseau for a new Pink Panther film.
The Pickup premiered in early June, marking another addition to Murphy’s growing list of recent projects.