EXCLUSIVE: Leslie Jones Talks Eddie Murphy, Playing Mary, & Coming 2 America
Leslie Jones has lit up the small screen and big screen over the last couple of years and today, March 5, she will be lighting up both screens in Coming 2 America.
Jones is set to play Mary in the new movie and, in honor of the movie’s release, Jones talked about what it was like joining the movie, the first day of shooting, working with Eddie Murphy and so much more.
What it was like on the first day of shooting ?
“The first day of shooting to me was the one that put the bumps, the goosebumps on me. When Eddie [Murphy] walked in, dressed as a king. It was almost like the movie had just continued. He walked in, he just walked off another scene from the original movie. That’s when it really started becoming really real.”
You have so many great one liners in the movie. Were those created by you or the writers?
“The character is me. It was just so easy to play because it was just one of those characters that you do embrace. I love these type of characters that are in a movie that is going to join everybody together.”
You can read the rest of her interview below you jump! There are minor spoilers below, so read at your own risk. Coming 2 America is out on Amazon Prime Video and theaters today!
What was it like working with Eddie Murphy?
“When I started comedy, the first time I performed was at Colorado College in Fort Collins and I won. I’m dressed like Eddie. I had a leather jacket. I had on all leather. I don’t know how I got all leather. I had a Jerry curl where my hair was shaved all the way to the side and I had a duck tail that was blonde. It went all the way down, Anyways, I won the contest and they interviewed me for the college paper and they was like, ‘So what’s next?’ I was like, ‘I’m the next Eddie Murphy.’
But I didn’t know that you can’t say that because I lost my scholarship. I was on scholarship. I was on the basketball team. I lost my scholarship because I wasn’t going to class. I had decided I’m going to be a comedian. I had to call my Dad and tell him that I lost my scholarship. And he was like, ‘Oh, well we can get it back.’ I was like, ‘No dad. I know what I want to do.’ He was like, ‘What do you want to do?’ I said, ‘I want to be a comedian.’ He was like, ‘What the f**k? Who the f**k told you you was funny? You ain’t never been funny. I known you your whole f**king life. You ain’t never been funny. I’m sorry, baby.’ So I said, ‘Well, I’m going be the next Eddie Murphy.'”
What was it like to find out your character, Mary has been inserted into the series canon?
“First of all, I don’t know what comedian didn’t write themselves into the original Coming to America. So I was already in the movie. I did have a whole different character though, I was Samuel Jackson’s sister. And we decided to get a job at Modales. But they [the writers] decided to write it this way, that’s cool. It worked out. It worked out their way.”
Let’s talk filming the intimate scene with Eddie Murphy, what was that like?
“I just couldn’t believe that he wrote it like that. I was like, oh, okay. So we’re going to have some real fun here. This is insane. And they let me do stupid stuff. I’m so glad they didn’t put half the stupid stuff I did that day.”