10 Secret Acting Methods You Never Knew
9. Eddie Murphy Copied Bruce Lee's Facial Expressions For His Action Movies
Eddie Murphy is best known for his rat-a-tat wit and also his distinctive, animated facial expressions, though when Murphy made the leap from stand-up comedy to the big screen with 1982's hit buddy cop actioner 48 Hrs., he wasn't confident he'd actually look convincing holding a gun.
And so, Murphy turned to a statuesque source of inspiration for his tough-guy look: none other than Bruce Lee.
Lee was noted for not only his incredible physique and athletic prowess, but also the intensity he sold through facial expressions alone, enough to make you forget about his relatively slight stature.
In particular, Murphy imitated Lee's tendency to dart his eyes around to keep his opponents - and the audience - on their toes.
In a recent interview, Murphy said of the influence, "When I take a gun out in a movie, I'm trying to do Bruce Lee faces...Bruce Lee is actually the only actor I’ve consciously mimicked."
And it totally works, enough that Murphy ended up with Golden Globe nominations for 48 Hrs and Beverly Hills Cop.
If you watch basically any action flick that the actor has ever appeared in, he's busily moving his eyes around any time he's got a piece in his hand.