Eddie Murphy has been making the rounds promoting Coming 2 America and since it's the sequel to one of his most popular films, some new stories have emerged about that project while promoting the sequel. During a very interesting interview on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Murphy, along with his co-star Arsenio Hall, revealed that Paramount Pictures forced them to hire a white actor in the film after Murphy hoped to hire an all-black cast.
Murphy and Hall say that Paramount Pictures gave them three names to choose from and Louie Anderson was on that list. Anderson plays the character of Maurice in Coming To America, who is one of Prince Akeem (Murphy) and Semmi's (Hall) co-workers at the fast-food restaurant McDowell's. Maurice was originally intended to be played by a black actor and the duo went on to explain why Anderson was ultimately cast. As Hall puts it, "I love Louie, but I think we were forced to put Louie in it. We were forced to put in a white person." Eddie Murphy eventually went on to back up Hall's claim:
"They were like, 'There has to be a white person in the movie.' I was like, 'What?' So who was the funniest white guy around? We knew Louie was cool, so that's how Louie got in the movie."
Hall continues the story by saying Paramount Pictures was pretty adamant about this notion and gave them a list of actors to choose from:
"It was official. I had a list. They gave me a list with three white guys. They said, 'Who would you rather work with?' I said, 'Louie.'"
Despite how it all sounds, the duo seems. to have no problem that Anderson ended up in the film and they're obviously all friends. Murphy, Hall, and Anderson came up around the same time on the stand-up circuit and that's why, when put in a position to choose, they chose Anderson. Things are certainly still good all these years later because Anderson is back as Maurice in Coming 2 America where he will apparently still be working at McDowell's but at its relocated location in Zamunda. Murphy and Hall were just trying to point out that the intention was to have an all-black cast and executives at Paramount Pictures pushed back on that idea which is how Anderson ended up in the film.
Directed by Craig Brewer, Coming 2 America finds Akeem (Murphy) learning that he has a long-lost son in the United States and now he must return to America to meet the unlikely heir to the throne of Zamunda. Penned by Kenya Barris, Barry W. Blaustein, and David Sheffield, with a story by Blaustein, David Sheffield, and Justin Kanew, the film also stars Arsenio Hall, James Earl Jones, Shari Headley, Louie Anderson, John Amos, Wesley Snipes, Leslie Jones, Tracy Morgan, Jermaine Fowler, Bella Murphy, Rotimi, KiKi Layne, Nomzamo Mbatha and Teyana Taylor.
What are YOUR thoughts on how Louie Anderson was cast?