Eddie Murphy: A ‘Dreamgirls’ Fraud?

NEW YORK (December 13, 2006) — Eddie Murphy says he has one thing in common with his “Dreamgirls” character, the talented and troubled soul singer James “Thunder” Early.

“I could relate to him — the whole idea of him faking his way to the top, like that idea,” the 45-year-old actor said in a recent interview with AP Television News. “Because I think every artist feels, you know, in the back of your mind, it’s like — you’re kinda like — they’re believing this?”

He added: “You know, you kind of feel like, at any moment, they’re gonna pull the covers off, and be like, ‘He’s not an artist!”’

Murphy’s screen credits include “48 Hrs.,” the “Beverly Hills Cop” movies and the “Shrek” films, in which he voiced the character of Donkey. He was a cast member of NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” in the early 1980s.

Although he’s hit some career road bumps here and there — “The Adventures of Pluto Nash,” anyone? — Murphy doesn’t let that get to him.

“I’m the closest you can get to having a charmed existence in this town. … I graduated high school at 17, and got on ‘Saturday Night Live’ when I’m 18, and I did ‘48 Hrs.’ when I was 20,” he said. “So I never had the whole, you know, going through auditions and all that and getting on drugs and losing it all and the tragedy.

“(I’ve) been rolling since I was 18. I’ve been chilling. So, every now and then you might have a movie that’s whack and don’t make some loot, but that ain’t the end of the world.”

Murphy, seen escorting film producer Tracey Edmonds to recent screenings of “Dreamgirls,” has said he’s not sure if he’s the father of ex-girlfriend Melanie Brown’s unborn child. Brown, a former Spice Girl, has said there’s “absolutely no question that Eddie is the father.”

Murphy’s wife, Nicole, filed for divorce last year, citing irreconcilable differences. The couple were married in 1993 and have five children.

“Dreamgirls,” which also stars Beyonce Knowles, Jamie Foxx and Jennifer Hudson, opens in theaters Dec. 25.