An actor getting an opportunity to perform in a fight scene with their dad is a bit of a precarious situation. On the one hand, it’s something rare and ultra-cool that not everyone gets to do with one’s parent, but on the other hand there is the risk for… accidents. As far as the latter is concerned, this was a lesson that Bella Murphy learned personally making Coming 2 America, as she nearly found herself grounded after an incident where she almost gave her father, Eddie Murphy, a whack on the hands with a wood staff.
The young actor reflected on this funny on-set moment last month when I interviewed her and her co-star, Akiley Love, during the virtual Coming 2 America press day. We discussed the training process involved for the movie’s fight scenes featuring the princesses of Zamunda, and one particular memory came to mind when I asked about a favorite day of hers on set. Said Bella Murphy,
There was actually a scene that I was filming with my dad and I was supposed to whack him, and he was supposed to block, but the way I whacked him was too close to his hands and he got scared and froze – and I froze because I got scared too. And we were just kind of like at this standoff, like, 'What's about to happen?' Then after, 'You're grounded,' But I wasn't actually grounded, so it was funny.
Knowing Eddie Murphy’s comedic timing after decades of watching him work, it’s remarkably easy to imagine the exact way that the on-set scene went down, and it’s certainly a funny thought.
Along with KiKi Layne, Bella Murphy and Akiley Love star in Coming 2 America as the three daughters of Eddie Murphy’s Prince Akeem, and Shari Headley’s Princess Lisa. They have a close relationship with their father – for example, they do martial arts training together – but things get a bit messy in the dynamic when the discussion of Akeem’s royal heir is raised. The oldest of the princesses, Meeka has spent her entire life preparing to eventually become the leader of Zamunda, but a witch doctor (Arsenio Hall) informs the would-be king that he has an adult son who lives in the Queens borough of New York.
After originally being scheduled to be released at the very end of 2020, Coming 2 America is now all set to be an Amazon Prime original, and subscribers will have the opportunity to watch it on the streaming service this Friday, March 5. In addition to Eddie Murphy, Arsenio Hall, Shari Headley, KiKi Layne, Bella Murphy and Akiley Love, the film co-stars Wesley Snipes, James Earl Jones, Leslie Jones, Tracy Morgan, Jermaine Fowler, and Nomzamo Mbatha. You can check out more from my interviews with the cast right here.
