Pete Davidson, 31, and the legendary Eddie Murphy, 64, shine in the new comedy film The Pickup, now on Prime Video. Davidson has now confessed that Murphy inspired him to reduce his social circle.
Speaking to People, Pete joked: “I’ve been guilty of having 700 friends in the green room. People I just met or are just in the crew, and then I’m like, ‘Why did they not have my best interest in mind?'”
Pete observed that Eddie “moved” in a totally different way from himself, and he eventually decided to follow suit.
He said: “He has a really small crew, and it’s the same people for a really long time, and I think that’s really important to have an efficient career and just overall life in this business.
“You have to be able to trust who’s around you, and you got to be able to move a certain type of way.
“I’m not Eddie Murphy by any means, but especially when you’re at his level, you need to be able to trust everyone around you.”
Pete now only surrounds himself with people he can trust.
He quipped: “Pretty much after that movie I was like, ‘Okay, I have three friends. Here’s who they are. Here’s who I have to trust and share things with.'”
In another interview, Pete noted to Entertainment Weekly that he was immediately impressed by Eddie Murphy’s star power while shooting The Pickup.
“You’re very aware when Eddie Murphy’s on set — even if you can’t see him, you’re like, ‘I feel his presence,'” he explains, laughing. “He’s one of the few stars left, you know? I would say it’s him, Cruise, Costner — you know, it’s all the older dudes. There’s no real stars anymore.”
The King of Staten Island star states that Murphy has become a mentor figure to him, similar to another SNL legend, Adam Sandler, whom he now considers a “pal.”
He said: Everything that I’m going through now, they went through. So it’s just really helpful to be able to talk to them. Anytime I can, I ask them for, you know, fatherly advice. Adam and Eddie have been killing for 30+ years. That’s not normal, especially in comedy, to be at the top that long. And it’s because they’re great dudes, and they have a great regimen and a great team, and they’re smart. So anything I could absorb from them, I do.
The Pickup is now streaming on Prime Video.