"Sidney Poitier said, 'You are not Denzel [Washington], and you are not Morgan [Freeman]. You are a breath of fresh air, and don’t f*** with that!'" Murphy recalls.

Sidney Poitier told Eddie Murphy to not compete with actors like Denzel Washington or Morgan Freeman for a role in 'Malcolm X.'

Eddie Murphy was warned by Sidney Poitier not to star in "Malcolm X." During an interview for Apple TV+'s "Number One on the Call Sheet: Black Leading Men in Hollywood," Murphy revealed he bumped into Poitier and brought up that he had been approached to play Alex Haley in the 1992 film when Norman Jewison was attached to the movie before Spike Lee took over.