Eddie Murphy Defends ‘Norbit’ and Claims It Cost Him an Oscar

Eddie Murphy is standing by Norbit, the critically loathed 2008 comedy that is widely believed to have cost him an Oscar for Best Supporting actor for Dreamgirls.

The Hollywood actor played a number of different roles in Norbit, including the titular character, Mr. Wong, and Rasputia Latimore. Despite the film’s poor reception, Murphy maintains it was a creatively fulfilling project.

“I really don’t care about the reception,” Murphy said in a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter. “I was experimenting with my performance.I was doing all these different characters, and I was having a ball.”

Murphy was nominated for a Golden Globe for his performance in Dreamgirls but lost out to Javier bardem. Many believe that Norbit, released shortly before the Oscars voting, negatively impacted his chances of winning. The film was heavily criticized for its perceived reliance on racial stereotypes.

“I think that Norbit hurt me with the Academy,” murphy admitted. “They didn’t like that I was doing something so silly right after doing something so serious.”

Despite the controversy, Murphy doesn’t regret making Norbit. “I’m proud of that movie,” he said. “It’s a funny movie, and I had a good time making it.”