Though Eddie Murphy's all over the film with his multiple disguises and jokes, big bro Charlie Murphy had a hand in co-writing and coming up with the idea for the film. Now that NORBIT has done well at the box office and out on DVD starting today, he should have more works lined up for him. It's not always easy getting respect when Eddie is always is in the picture, but Charlie has been carving a name for himself for some time and now his due is coming up.
How did you come about in co-writing this hit film?
Charlie Murphy: My brother (Eddie) are always talking on the phone and trying to come up with something we can do together. I happen to be on the internet and there was this video about this guy and his wife and they were having domestic altercation and unlike other situations, the woman destroyed the man like Joe Frazier. She knocked him down like four times. She looked like a professional boxer doing it. Women seeing this had a different reaction than men. They were laughing pretty hard and I said that there had to be something here we can use, and if you can get women to come to the movies, they bring out the whole family, so we started working on it right away, and Norbit came out from it.
How does it feel to know you help create a success?
CM: It puts you in the market. It makes you credible. Now when I go to
Is writing a lot more challenging for you?
CM: Everything was a lot more challenging for me because of who my brother was. If I were in the film, someone would have said that I got the part because Eddie's in the film. If I wrote a script, folks would say that I didn't really write that. That Eddie did and I threw my name on it. Anything to discourage you.
Why should folks go out and rent or buy the
CM: Because it's funny. If you want to laugh, see a comedy. If you want to cry, see a drama and if you want suspense, see a thriller. Norbit is a comedy and it performed very well last year.
