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With director Craig Brewer’s Dolemite Is My Name streaming on Netflix starting October 25th, I recently sat down with Eddie Murphy for an exclusive interview. As a lifelong fan of Murphy, it was a bit surreal sitting across from him and being able to ask questions. During the interview he talked about how Dolemite wouldn’t have gotten made without Netflix, how he’s had the idea to make a movie about Rudy Ray Moore for a long time, how the film is both dirty and sweet, how he did his Ray Moore impression when they pitched it to Netflix and that helped sell the project, if he’s started thinking about what he wants to do on the SNL Christmas episode which he’s hosting this year, and Beverly Hills Cop 4.

If you have yet to see the trailer for Dolemite Is My Name, the crowd-pleasing biopic written by Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski is about a struggling comedian Rudy Ray Moore (Murphy) as he struggles to break through as an entertainer any way he can. One day he comes up with the comic persona Dolemite and we follow his journey from recording albums in his living room to becoming a Blaxploitation success at the box office. It’s an incredible true story, a fantastic film, and Eddie Murphy hasn’t been this good in years. Absolutely recommended. For more on Dolemite you can read Matt Goldberg’s review. The film also stars Keegan-Michael Key, Wesley Snipes, Craig Robinson, Mike Epps, Tituss Burgess and Da’Vine Joy Randolph.

Check out what Eddie Murphy had to say in the player above and below is exactly what we talked about.

Eddie Murphy:

• How the film is both dirty and sweet.
• How he’s had the idea to make a Dolomite movie about Rudy Ray Moore for a long time.
• How Dolemite doesn’t get made without Netflix.
• How he did his Rudy Ray Moore impression when they pitched it to Netflix and that’s what sold it to them.
• Has he started thinking about what he wants to do on the SNL Christmas episode which he’s hosting this year?
• Is he really doing Beverly Hills Cop 4?