For years, Charlie Murphy was best known as the leading member in his brother’s superstar entourage, who occasionally helped Eddie with scripts (Vampire In Brooklyn, Norbit) or popped up in small roles in films like CB4 and Poetic Justice. Then came Chappelle’s Show and as soon as Dave’s twisted take on Rick James shouted out “CHARLIE MURRRPHYYYY!” he became a star in his own right.

These days Charlie has stepped out entirely from his brother’s shadow. He now tours the world doing stand-up and has his own steady career as an actor. Finally while sliding into his fifties, everyone has come to appreciate the man who Chris Rock once called “Eddie Murphy on acid.”

This week, Charlie Murphy will star in Trailer Park Boys creator Mike Clattenburg’s latest film Moving Day and TORO got a chance to speak with him about the project, his stand-up, the unexpected start to his acting career and screaming at the host of Man Vs. Food.

Were you aware of the Trailer Park Boys before meeting Mike Clattenburg for Moving Day?

Yeah, Trailer Park Boys is funny, man. I didn’t know Mike though. I’d just seen the movie. You know, when he told me that he was the guy who made Trailer Park Boys, that was like getting a green flag for a change. This guy has chops. Then I read the script and it was all like one big tractor beam. I was pulled in until I got on the set. I’m really glad that I got to work on this film.

How was making the movie? I know Mike likes to play around with a lot of improv.

Yeah, we had fun with that. I like being in films where that’s a possibility. Of course we did some heavy dramatic stuff and you couldn’t really improv that. But on the later stuff I was able to go off. There’s only one other director who I became friends with afterwards and that’s Spike Lee. So Mike is in real good company. We’re friends now. We talk about things that have nothing to do with filmmaking. I’ll just call to say "hi." So I’m appreciative of the fact that I got to make a new friend as well.

Do you think you’ll continue to work together?

Absolutely. We’ve been talking about that as of late. Mike has a couple of projects he’d like to do. I’m involved in a big tour right now, so we’re setting up something so that when the tour’s over, we can work together again. I’m going to take a breather from the stage and try to grow into another comedian. I’ve been on stage for 10 years straight, so I need to step back just to recharge. I’m in constant battle mode, constantly writing jokes and going to the club just to practice. You gotta bring out knew stuff. I’ve gotten tremendous strength from doing it, but I haven’t done enough good films. I’m not satisfied. I want to do more.

Did you enjoy having the opportunity to play a more quiet and kind character?

Yeah, well you know with my age category I’m getting to the point where I could play somebody’s dad or uncle. Those roles require you to take a little more authority and weight. This movie allowed me to do that and I’m looking for more.

Is it easier to be funny when you get to be a little nastier and drop a few more “motherfuckers?”

Well, me saying “motherfucker” is not what makes somebody laugh [Laughs]. I’ll fill that in and if I do make somebody laugh, good. But you know, when the chance to improv shows itself a little bird will fly into my ear and it’s like you gave me the sundae and I put the cherry on top. A lot of directors won’t allow you to do that. Mike did and that’s what I’m looking for. 

When was the first time you decided to try acting?

I’m going to bug you out right now. The first time I was ever in a movie was The Landlord with Beau Bridges, directed by Hal Ashby. I was a little kid in that movie. The way I got that role was there was a Boy’s Club of America in our neighbourhood and they had a raffle. They were shooting in our neighbourhood and needed some extras, so they put our names into a draw to be in the movie and get paid. So everybody in the neighbourhood put their kid’s name in that raffle and I won. The next day my mother takes me out to the set. I met Beau Bridges. I met Pearl Bailey. I met Louis Gossett Jr. I met Hal Ashby. I was nine years old, man. But to me, I was meeting them like, “So what if you’re Pearl Baily. What’s the big deal? Why is everybody acting like it’s the chief of the tribe?” I didn’t know. That was my first experience. Then came the job and the job they gave me was hilarious because it was like I was Gusto from CB4 as a kid. Beau Bridges comes out the building and looks up the block and he’s sees three young boys stealing his hubcaps and one of them is Charlie Murphy.

Are you still writing movie scripts?

Yeah man, I have one out there right now we’re trying to get done. I want to do a film that would basically be a modern It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World. Every comedian in Hollywood is in that movie. I want to do that again, so I wrote a movie called Pimps Again that has roles for every comedian in Hollywood. We could get ‘em all together, the black ones and the white ones. The movie’s absurd, but it’s very funny.

Have you written any scripts over the years that didn’t get produced that you’re really proud of?

It’s not worth even worth bringing them up because they didn’t get made. [Adopts lame white guy voice, presumably, mine.] "Let’s think about the ones that are collecting dust.” Anybody out there that reads this, that’s part of the process. Everything that you write, you gotta be proud of. But you ain’t selling all of them. You shouldn’t get to the point where you sell something before you put pen to the paper. I’m not going to write something just to get it made. The whole process is worth it. Just keep doing it. It makes you better, like anything else.

Is it true that you’re in a feud with Man Vs. Food host Adam Richman?

[Laughs] No, not at all. You must have heard about the story of when I saw him. I watch the show and I saw him at the airport standing at the curb. He had his Oaks on and when a person has their Oaks on, you don’t know if their eyes are even open. But I saw him and I said, “Hey, that’s Man Vs Food!” and I waved at him. He didn’t say anything and I don’t know what was going on in his head. Maybe he was tired or something. But on that particular day, I had a classic Charlie Murphy reaction. I shouted out the window, “Well fuck you Man Vs. Food! I hope you choke on your next hamburger!”

Since I have the chance to talk to you, I have to ask something. Who was “Daryl” from the deleted True Hollywood Stories on the Chappelle Show DVD?

I’ll never reveal that because that guy is somebody who I grew up with. He actually approached me and said, “Why would you tell the whole world that story?” I never gave the name, but he said, “Everybody knows me knows who you’re talking about!” [Laughs] I said, “Yes they do.” And he said, “Well, whoever knows should have been there. That’s it.” I still know the guy and he’s actually still uptight that I told that story. You know, everybody gets older and calms down, but every time I see him he still says, “I can’t believe you told that story.” He definitely has an issue with me for doing that, so I can’t give you the name.

Are there any other stories like that one that you were maybe saving to do in later seasons that you never got to tell?

I don’t know, man. I don’t feel like it’s something where, “I can’t wait to tell that one.” It’s all a natural thing for me. It’s just got to come up. There are things that are going to happen today that’ll be a great story. Because of the Rick James thing a lot of people keep saying, “Tell me some more stories,” as if I wanna give them a whole recap of the '80s. I’m 53 years old and my life has been very colourful and exciting. Rick James was just one thing, you know what I’m saying? I’m glad it penetrated the way it did, but now that the door’s open there’s a whole bunch of new stuff to tell. That’s what my Acid Trip 2012 Tour has been about, just going around telling stories on edgy topics and walking the razor blade. Once this cycle is done, the tour will have earned 15 flags from countries we went to. That is a landmark accomplishment as far as I’m concerned for a black comedian, to have a set that I performed from the North Pole to the South Pole successfully. It’s all building up a big bubble and I can’t wait for it to pop.