Francois Duhamel/Netflix(TORONTO) — Eddie Murphy’s Dolemite Is My Name premiered Saturday at the Toronto Film Festival, and the iconic comedian says he’s admired the real-life subject of the film, Rudy Ray Moore, since he was a teenager.
“I was a big fan of Rudy Ray Moore. From the time I was 14, 15 years old I started watching him,” Murphy tells The Hollywood Reporter. “When I got older, I found out how he was the catalyst. How he put his movies together, he financed them and he put his records together. He financed all of his stuff and he became this inspirational figure.”
It’s been nearly 40 years since the 58-year old comedian became a star in 1980 at the age of 19 on Saturday Night Live. Murphy says unlike him, Moore had to struggle for his success.
“My career was the exact opposite of Rudy Ray Moore’s,” Murphy says. “I got in really easy, and he took a whole different road, so he’s got a really inspirational story.”
Wesley Snipes co-stars in Dolemite Is My Name, and tells the Hollywood Reporter that he’s ecstatic to do a film with Murphy, one of his idols.
“I was just thrilled of the idea of getting a chance work with a cat who I consider is one of the masters in the game,” Snipes says.
Dolemite Is My Name, which also features Mike Epps, Craig Robinson, and T.I., opens in theaters on October 4, and starts streaming on Netflix on October 25.
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