5 Awesome Things You Didn’t Know About The Original ‘Boomerang’
With the recent premiere of Boomerang, the series, we've decided to take a trip down memory lane to revisit the iconic film that birthed the blueprint for the new show.
Reginald Hudlin, the 1992-released film's director, recently spoke with Entertainment Weekly where he opened up about how Eddie Murphy, the film's leading man, took a chance by allowing him to create some of the most memorable moments in cinema.
Hudlin, who first broke onto the scene in 1990 with the hit movie House Party, gave a few exclusive tidbits about the film's creative process that may shock its fans.
From Grace Jones' unforgettable impact on Murphy and Halle Berry while filming, to the reasoning behind Murphy's cool and fashion forward styling, see five things you may not have known about the original Boomerang, below:
Lela Rochon's Feet Were Jacked Up With Prosthetics Just For The Film
Fans of the cult classic would recall that Marcus made it known that he could never date a woman who had unattractive feet. At the beginning of the film, he hooks up with a gorgeous woman named Christine, played by Lela Rochon, but he soon noticed that her feet weren't up to his standards. Hudlin said, though, that the feet shown in the movie didn't represent them actually in her natural state.
"No. Lela Rochon has beautiful feet," he said. "We had our crack makeup department apply corns and all kinds of terrible stuff on her feet... We just jacked her foot up for the shot."
Grace Jones' Part Of Strangé Was Written Just For Her
One of the most outstanding takeaways from the film is Grace Jones' standout performance as Strangé, and to prove it was an authentic role, Hudlin said that they created the part with the star's actual persona in mind.
"We had to get Grace Jones, there was no Plan B," he said.
The Actors' Reactions To Jones' Performance In The Film Were Completely Unscripted
Hudlin shared a specific moment where Strangé flipped her hair into Murphy's face, prompting him to pick strands out of his teeth. He added that Halle Berry struggled to keep a straight face during the exchange.
"I remember Halle being completely unable to hold it together," he said. "I would look over and Halle had tears coming out of her eyes because she wanted to laugh so hard — Halle was just like, 'Please, please stop!'"
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Eddie Murphy's Styling And Persona Was A Deliberate Plan To Stray Away From What People Expected Of Him
Prior to the release of Boomerang, Eddie Murphy's roles had usually centered around a demure persona that the public had gotten accustomed to. However, as Hudlin shared, that didn't actually reflect who he was as a man. So this film was his chance to show more of himself in a role.
"It was a chance to be his whole self," Hudlin said. "The personas of [48 Hours'] Reggie Hammond and [Beverly Hill Cop's] Alex Foley are great characters, but people just kept wanting him to do the same thing over and over again. So [with Boomerang], he could finally be more who he was as a person... It was very deliberate, for example, that he's styled almost exclusively in Theirry Mugler suits."
John Witherspoon's 'Mushroom Suit' Moment Was Created Completely By Chance
One of the most hilarious moments from the film was introduced when John Witherspoon's character arrived to Thanksgiving dinner wearing a monochromatic suit completed with mushroom-print lining and a matching shirt.
Hudlin explained that there were other wardrobe options for the star, but once the movie's costume designer showed him the loud number, he knew there was no other option.
"Francine Tanchuck, who is really a brilliant costume designer, she would always show me [several] options for every character," he said. "So, with that one, she had this blue leisure suit for Johnny Witherspoon, and the mushroom suit, with the mushroom lining for the inside of the jacket and the belt. I said, 'This is a false choice... There's only one way to go — we have to rock the mushroom outfit.'... That was not scripted."
Boomerang, the series, airs every Tuesday night at 10:00 p.m. EST on BET.
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