While some actors come and go, others like Eddie Murphy stand the test of time. From his early days as a Saturday Night Live cast member to starring alongside Nick Nolte in Walter Hill’s 48 Hrs. and moving on to comedies like Trading Places, Beverly Hills Cop, and Coming to America, we knew Eddie would go on to do great things since his Hollywood beginnings. This weekend, Murphy’s Shrek co-star, Mike Myers, helped honor Murphy’s prolific career by presenting him with an AFI Life Achievement Award. Oh, and because he’s Mike Myers, he offered the award while wearing Shrek makeup.
“Not only is Shrek DreamWorks‘ highest-grossing film, but Jeffrey Katzenberg has been quoted as saying that Shrek saved DreamWorks. Jeffrey, you’re welcome,” Myers said while addressing the AFI crowd in full Shrek makeup, his antennae dangling with each inflection of emphasis. “But none of Shrek’s success could have happened without Eddie Murphy. Eddie’s character, Donkey, is a masterpiece, as is every character Eddie has created over the years. Lovable. Hilarious. Joyous. Vulnerable and loyal, Eddie combines all of those in a tour de force. Kindly put, Eddie is one of the greatest. Now, obviously, I never got to work with Charlie Chaplin. I never got to work with Alec Guinness. I never got to work with Peter Sellers, but it is my absolute honor to say, and be able to tell my kids, that I got to work with Eddie Murphy,” he concluded.
Anyone craving more from Myers and Murphy can mark their calendars for June 30, 2027, when the duo reunites for DreamWorks’ Shrek 5. The upcoming animated sequel will feature the voices of Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, and Cameron Diaz as Shrek, Donkey, and Fiona, respectively. The film also stars Zendaya as Shrek and Fiona’s daughter, Felicia, and Superman’s Skyler Gisondo and Marcello Hernandez (Saturday Night Live) as Shrek and Fiona’s sons.
In addition to Shrek 5, Eddie Murphy revealed last year that a Donkey spinoff movie is also in the works. “We started doing Shrek 4 or [Shrek] 5 months ago. I did this, I recorded the first act, and we’ll be doing it this year, we’ll finish it up,” he said. “Shrek is coming out, and Donkey’s gonna have his own movie. We’re gonna do Donkey as well. So we’re gonna do a Shrek, and we’re doing a Donkey [movie].”