Why I stayed away from hard drugs – Eddie Murphy

Hollywood legend Eddie Murphy has explained why drugs never became part of his decades-long career, revealing that a blunt comment from a fellow comedian scared him straight.

Murphy, 64, told Collider that although he tried weed and once used a dentist-prescribed painkiller in his 20s, he was never drawn to anything stronger.

“I never had interest in hard stuff,” he said, recalling how he felt unusually good after taking Percocet for dental pain. He admitted he finished the prescription but soon realised it wasn’t for him.

The turning point came at the famous Comedy Store in Los Angeles.

Murphy said he had taken Percocet and smoked a joint the same night when comedian Pauly Shore walked up to him and said: “You don’t even look like yourself tonight.”

According to Murphy, the remark hit hard.

“I was like, ‘Who do I look like?’ and he said, ‘Some other dude,’ and walked away,” Murphy said, laughing. “Right there I decided I wasn’t messing with that anymore.”

Murphy said the moment scared him off experimenting further. “I was like, what was I looking like? That was it for me.”

The actor is currently preparing to star in a biopic about Parliament-Funkadelic founder George Clinton, while also set to play Inspector Clouseau in a remake of The Pink Panther. He said he studies his subjects briefly, then relies on instinct to bring characters to life.