In the new Apple TV+ documentary Number One on the Call Sheet, the comedy legend Eddie Murphy opened up about his legendary career and what he revealed is total Hollywood dream material. “I had one audition in my whole life,” Murphy said, his smile far too old for this business, a half-century of punch lines on display. “I think I’m the only actor who could say that. I had one audition, and It was for “Saturday Night Live.”
Eddie Murphy didn’t scratch and claw his way up the Hollywood ladder through hundreds of callbacks and rejections. You get one chance, and he knocked it out of the park.” The early ’80s were a transitional time for SNL, and Murphy, a fresh-faced teenager with a natural knack for making people laugh, entered the picture at the perfect time. That single audition not only secured him a seat on the iconic show but, in an instant, rocketed him to stardom. By the time he turned 19, he was not only in the cast but also the show’s saving grace.
In an industry where actors are never shy to share stories of struggle, sacrifice, and their grueling roads to fortune and fame, Murphy’s trajectory shines like a neon beacon. It’s a rare and little-known reminder that, once in a rare situation, talent, timing, and destiny align, and there’s just one perfect moment.
Eddie Murphy opened the floodgates to box-office treasure on the big screen with movies such as Beverly Hills Cop, Coming to America, and The Nutty Professor, ensuring that Murphy wasn’t just a funny man but a money man, one who could stand alongside any name on any marquee.
Murphy didn’t frame it as a boast but was a humble disbelief of the most humble sort as if he still finds it surreal one audition. No second chances are needed. This is an astonishing fact for would-be performers. And for the comedy world, it’s evidence that Eddie Murphy didn’t just come into the world to entertain; he was meant to.
So, while most actors have a curriculum vitae stuffed with trial-and-error auditions, Murphy’s story is pretty much the ultimate outlier. One room, one moment, and a legacy that still inspires and entertains generations to this day.
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