Movies & TV
“Coming 2 America” Stars grace the cover of Essence Magazine’s Latest Issue
As the premiere of fan-favourite “Coming to America‘s” sequel, “Coming 2 America” approaches and everyone can’t wait to see it, the film’s lead star Eddie Murphy and his daughter Bella Murphy cover Essence’s regal March + April issue as they engage in an “intimate reflection about the legend of the original movie and the heart of its upcoming sequel.”
Talking about the two films Eddie says, “Coming to America is one of my films that has really worked its way into the culture. People get dressed up as the characters for Halloween, and they still walk around saying catchphrases like ‘Sexual Chocolate.’ All of that stuff just kind of stayed around—like Randy Watson doing the very first mic drop!” He also adds, “the one thing that I didn’t want to do was a bad sequel to a movie that a lot of people have a lot invested. A lot of people grew up watching “Coming to America” It’s special to them. So, you don’t want to taint that.
He continues saying,
The legacy of Coming to America is that it is unique, it’s rare. Black people, we don’t get a lot of movies like this one. Coming to America is a romantic fantasy comedy. Usually, when we see ourselves on the screen, it’s heavy things…Rarely do we get just to go see some escapism. Just to go see a movie and not have to think about any of that stuff.
Coming to America is an all-Black cast, but the movie’s not about race. It’s not about, having a foot in your ass or ‘Wake up’ or ‘Keep hope alive.’ It’s none of those things that you can just go and sit back and watch the movie. And it’s about these people and it’s about somebody that’s trying to find true love,” says Murphy. ” It’s like a fantasy, like a fairy tale. And that’s the legacy of the movie that it’s one of the few romantic fairytales with Black people. I think that’s why we love it. That’s why 30 years later, we still watch it and they show it on Christmas and all that. Cause it’s this sweet thing.
Also Eddie Murphy, Arsenio Hall, and Jermaine Fowler share one of our three March/April covers.
As Zamunda’s newest princess, Kiki Layne also featured as one of three cover stars for the March/April 2021 issue of ESSENCE.
Photo Credit: essence
