Here’s Why Eddie Murphy and Sylvester Stallone Had Long-Standing Beef
When I first learned that Sly Stallone had it out for Eddie Murphy, I assumed it was because Murphy became a mega movie star after taking over for the Rocky star in Beverly Hills Cop. But that comedy’s success wasn’t why Stallone was irate with Murphy — it was a behind-the-scenes rumor on another movie that generated the beef.
First, some background. Stallone was hired to star in Beverly Hills Cop while Murphy was still an up-and-coming comic on Saturday Night Live. The original screenplay had plenty of comedy elements, but Stallone rewrote the script to crank up the action elements. According to Far Out, Sly’s version of the story would have ended with a showdown between a Lamborghini and a freight train. Sounds like Stallone, all right.
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Hot off of 48 Hrs., Murphy took over the role, improvised his way through filming, and became a global movie star. That part was all good with Stallone — until Murphy made Beverly Hills Cop II. It wasn’t professional envy but personal jealousy that got in the way as one of the film’s villains was played by Stallone’s then-wife, the statuesque Brigitte Nielsen.
According to the book Wild and Crazy Guys, Murphy only hired Nielsen as a favor to Stallone. That favor blew up in their faces after Stallone got wind of rumors that Nielsen and Murphy were fooling around on the set. The outraged actor called Murphy on the phone: “You fucked my wife!”
“Down, brother!” Murphy barked back. “I didn’t fuck your wife!”
Murphy was adamant that nothing happened. “Did I ever want to fuck Gitte? No, she’s not my type… she was married. And married to somebody who was my friend. I’m not that kind of guy,” the comic actor told Rolling Stone in 1989. “I guess somewhere in the back of his head, he’ll never really know the truth. Sly and I liked each other, too, but after the weirdness with Brigitte, it was ruined. I didn’t fuck her.”
Stallone held a grudge. Once he left a party early after he saw Murphy arrive. The two had conspired on several projects they planned to do together — a Godfather sequel with Al Pacino, other movies called Soldiers of Misfortune and Boys. Those proposed films disintegrated after Stallone swallowed the Beverly Hills Cop II rumors.
The Beverly Hills Cop sequel was a lousy experience for Murphy in more ways than one. “Beverly Hills Cop II was probably the most successful mediocre picture in history,” he told Rolling Stone. “It made $250 million worldwide, and it was a half-assed movie. Cop II was basically a rehash of Cop I, but it wasn’t as spontaneous and funny.”
Given the box office receipts, the movie studio didn’t mind. “My pictures make their money back,” Murphy admitted. “So who am I to say it sucks?”
