Michael Jai White Details Best Compliment From Eddie Murphy Over Mike Tyson Role

BY Erika Marie 11.2K Views
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Michael Jai White
The actor called it the greatest compliment he'd ever received.

Hollywood biopics are oftentimes a hit or miss. While the lives of some of our favorite entertainment figures are certainly compelling enough for their own feature films or miniseries sagas, the actors portraying well-known characters aren't always up to par. There have been plenty of actors who have imitated boxing legend Mike Tyson, whether it be for parodies or serious roles, and in 1995, Michael Jai White tackled the legend in the film Tyson. It wasn't an easy feat, but there was one person who thought that White did an excellent job taking on the title character.

"Two of my greatest compliments came from Eddie Murphy, in my life," White said. "Eddie Murphy's a freakin' icon, a god to me. I remember a friend of mine brought me to the Nutty Professor set. I didn't know what to expect, right? I'm standing there and all of a sudden there's this fat dude walkin' with an entourage of people behind him. The fat dude comes and walks straight up to me, looks me in the eye, shakes my hand and I noticed his hand was all puffy and squishy, right. And then, he's telling me, 'You know, I saw the Mike Tyson movie. Mike Tyson is a friend of mine. I wanted to hate that movie, but you were a better Mike than Mike was.'"

"As he's talkin', I'm thinking, what is this fat dude talking to me about? But I'm going, he sounds familiar," White continued. "Turns out that's Eddie Murphy. I didn't know! Nobody knew he was playing a fat dude. This was while he was shooting the movie so I didn't know what to expect... Eddie Murphy told me that. We became friends after that. That was my biggest accolade in my life was for Eddie Murphy who didn't want to like the movie because of his affiliation with Tyson, and then with him also telling me how much he liked Black Dynamite." Watch White's clip below to hear more about his forthcoming film The Outlaw of Johnny Black, his follow-up to Black Dynamite.


About The Author
Since 2019, Erika Marie has worked as a journalist for HotNewHipHop, covering music, film, television, art, fashion, politics, and all things regarding entertainment. With 20 years in the industry under her belt, Erika Marie moved from a writer on the graveyard shift at HNHH to becoming a Features Editor, highlighting long-form content and interviews with some of Hip Hop’s biggest stars. She has had the pleasure of sitting down with artists and personalities like DJ Jazzy Jeff, Salt ’N Pepa, Nick Cannon, Rah Digga, Rakim, Rapsody, Ari Lennox, Jacquees, Roxanne Shante, Yo-Yo, Sean Paul, Raven Symoné, Queen Naija, Ryan Destiny, DreamDoll, DaniLeigh, Sean Kingston, Reginae Carter, Jason Lee, Kamaiyah, Rome Flynn, Zonnique, Fantasia, and Just Blaze—just to name a few. In addition to one-on-one chats with influential public figures, Erika Marie also covers content connected to the culture. She’s attended and covered the BET Awards as well as private listening parties, the Rolling Loud festival, and other events that emphasize established and rising talents. Detroit-born and Long Beach (CA)-raised, Erika Marie has eclectic music taste that often helps direct the interests she focuses on here at HNHH. She finds it necessary to report on cultural conversations with respect and honor those on the mic and the hardworking teams that help get them there. Moreover, as an advocate for women, Erika Marie pays particular attention to the impact of femcees. She sits down with rising rappers for HNHH—like Big Jade, Kali, Rubi Rose, Armani Caesar, Amy Luciani, and Omerettà—to gain their perspectives on a fast-paced industry.

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