Kevin Bacon says working with Eddie Murphy on Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F was a “bucket list” moment

Last Updated on July 11, 2024

Kevin Bacon and Eddie Murphy are both ’80s icons, but the pair never actually worked together until Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F, which Bacon said was a “bucket list” moment for him.

“[It’s a] bucket list thing to work with him. He is one of our greatest movie stars ever,” Bacon told People of working with Murphy on the Beverly Hills Cop sequel. “Our paths never crossed in the ’80s. We never worked together. I don’t remember even having met him — I’m sure we probably did, but I don’t remember.” The actor plays Captain Cade Grant in the sequel, a police captain in the Beverly Hills Police Department.

Bacon also praised Murphy’s fantastic improvisation skills. “Eddie is somebody who is a very relaxed and loose and present actor. He comes in and famously does a lot of improvising,” Bacon said. “But when he improvises, there’s improvisation where you can really feel that the improviser is trying to go for a laugh. I never saw him trying to be funny either on camera or off camera, and he’s still hilarious. To the point where sometimes I was about to lose it just because he would look at me.“

Bacon continued: “He really watches the person that he is working with. I’d noticed that he will pick up on some little thing that the other person is doing or saying or whatever, and kind of put it back to them. It was great. I loved working with him.“

The official logline for Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F: “Detective Axel Foley (Murphy) is back on the beat in Beverly Hills. After his daughter Jane’s (Taylour Paige) life is threatened, she and Foley team up with a new partner (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and old pals Billy Rosewood (Judge Reinhold) and Taggart (John Ashton) to turn up the heat and uncover a conspiracy.” In addition to Eddie Murphy, Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F features the return of several original cast members, including Judge Reinhold as Lt. William “Billy” Rosewood, John Ashton as Sgt. John Taggart, Paul Reiser as Det. Jeffrey Friedman, and Bronson Pinchot as Serge.

The film is now available to stream on Netflix, so be sure to check out a review from our own Chris Bumbray and let us know what you think of the long-awaited sequel. You can also check out our interview with Eddie Murphy and a sit-down with the rest of the stars of the film, including Kevin Bacon, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Judge Reinhold, and more!