Eddie Murphy opens up to the New York Times in preparation for his impending comeback.

In an interview with the New York Times, Eddie Murphy discussed the past few decades in preparation for his impending return to the spotlight. Over the next year, Murphy will have a starring role as Rudy Ray Moore in Dolemite is My Name!; host Saturday Night Live for the first time in 35 years; and star in a sequel to 1988’s Coming to America.

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Additionally, Murphy will record a stand-up comedy special for Netflix, his first feature since Raw in 1987. When asked about the revered classics, Murphy revealed that he cringes at his old material. He admits he was dealing with a breakup at the time.

“I was a young guy processing a broken heart, you know, kind of an asshole,” he said. Murphy references being picketed due to the homophobic material in his specials (which he now recognizes as “ignorant”) as recently as 1996. With that considered, he says there’s no anxiety about returning to the stage in 2019.

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According to Murphy, his new material won’t be as self-centered as his work in the eighties. As a father of eight children, the experience is vastly different.

“I now have a whole lifetime of experiences to draw upon,” Murphy said. “There was a time when I was at the center of everything, what I was doing, and how funny I was and how popular…I’m not at the center. Now my kids are and everything revolves around them.”

SOURCE: New York Times