Arsenio Hall’s Second act
“There was no Black Twitter then. I was Black Twitter”
—HALL ON HIS TALK SHOW
Arsenio Hall says his favourite memories from making the classic 1988 comedy with good friend Eddie Murphy, 59, occurred when the cameras weren’t rolling. The comedian, 65, starts laughing as he recalls one night on the Paramount lot when he and Murphy had a two-hour break and decided to go to a nearby nightclub. No-one had yet seen their now-famous characters Prince Akeem and Semmi, so imagine the surprise when the duo arrived in full costume complete with Murphy’s long braid, royal robes and gold chains. Says Hall:
