Prior to 2001, the future at Dreamworks was not looking so bright. One of the final projects they had prepared was Shrek, which no one on the team had high hopes for.
Funnily enough, the members of the team who were assigned to the film considered it a punishment and called it being "Shreked."
But the animation studio's final "Hail Mary" soon turned into a "Hallelujah" when Shrek put Dreamworks Animation back on the map in a big way in 2001, becoming the studio's highest-grossing film, and that was largely in thanks to the film's beloved, loud, and socially awkward Donkey, performed by Eddie Murphy.
So it's fitting that when Eddie Murphy was awarded the AFI Lifetime Achievement Award, Shrek's Mike Myers stepped out in full green face paint—complete with ogre ears—to give a speech honoring his costar for single-handedly saving Dreamworks.
Myers was frank in his compliments to Eddie Murphy, noting:
"None of 'Shrek''s success could have happened without Eddie Murphy."
"Eddie's character, Donkey, is a masterpiece, as is every character that Eddie has created over the years."
"Lovable, hilarious, joyous, vulnerable, and loyal, Eddie combines all of those in a tour de force. And, plainly put, Eddie is one of the greatest."
"It is my absolute honor to say and to be able to tell my kids that I got to work with Eddie Murphy."
And Mike Myers is not wrong.
Donkey has proven to be a fan favorite in film after film in the Shrek franchise, and Eddie Murphy is well-known for his incredible character acting and ability to create personalities that people love film after film, like Coming to America, Beverly Hills Cop, Doctor Dolittle, The Nutty Professor, and Mushu in Mulan, among many others.
You can watch the video here:
Fans loved Meyers' tribute to Eddie Murphy.
The internet collectively found Eddie Murphy to be more than deserving of the award.
The AFI Lifetime Achievement Award was ultimately presented to Eddie Murphy by Spike Lee, after which Murphy finally stepped up on stage.
While accepting the award, Murphy quipped about receiving it later in life:
"If you made me wait until I was 92, I would've came out here and said, 'F**k everybody!' and then I'd get down and sh*t on the floor."
"We staved off that happening by getting this award tonight."
The audience erupted in laughter, creating the perfect end to the night for a comedic artist who was more than worthy of the lifetime achievement award.
Though Murphy's career is likely far from over, it's incredible how many characters we already have to enjoy and all the characters there are to come.
@thekalenallen/Threads
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