"Sidney Poitier said, 'You are not Denzel [Washington], and you are not Morgan [Freeman]. You are a breath of fresh air, and don’t f*** with that!'" Murphy recalls.

And they approached me about playing Alex Haley. Around that same time, I bumped into Sidney Poitier at something, and I asked him, ‘Yeah, I’m thinking about playing Alex Haley!’ And Sidney ...

Sidney Poitier wasn’t initially a fan of Atlanta when he traveled through what was then Atlanta Municipal Airport in the 1950s. He had already been a lead actor in films such as “No Way Out ...

Sidney Poitier told Eddie Murphy to not compete with actors like Denzel Washington or Morgan Freeman for a role in 'Malcolm X ...

In a recent interview, Eddie Murphy shared that legendary actor Sidney Poitier advised him not to take on the role of Alex ...

Eddie Murphy, in Apple TV+'s documentary 'Number One on the Call Sheet', reveals Oscar-winner Sidney Poitier's surprising advice to not join 'Malcolm X'. Poitier urged Murphy to maintain his unique ...

Sidney Poitier (left) and Eddie Murphy.

Jon Kopaloff/Getty; Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty ...

And they approached me about playing Alex Haley." Murphy continues: "And some-kind-of-where around that same time, I bumped into Sidney Poitier at something. And I asked him, ‘Yeah, I’m ...

Poitier was comparing Murphy to Denzel Washington and Morgan Freeman, who were both finding their footing as Hollywood leading men around the same time the Trading Places star burst onto the scene in ...