Dan Aykroyd looks at something that could be considered controversial right now: the Blackface moment trading places.
“I was on Blackface in that movie and I probably just couldn’t get away with it now,” Aykroyd, 70, recently told The Daily Beast.
This Ghost Hunters And Saturday night live The star stated that a Hollywood make-up technique rooted in racism would not be accepted today: “I probably wouldn’t have chosen to play a Blackface role, and that wouldn’t have been allowed.”
“I probably wouldn’t be allowed to speak a Jamaican accent, white face or Black,” he added.
trading places It became a critical and commercial hit in 1983, making it the fourth highest-grossing film of that year. Directed by John Landis and starring Eddie Murphy and Jamie Lee Curtis, the story of the film is about two men of different classes whose fortunes are turned upside down as part of an elaborate claim. Aykroyd played commodity broker Louis Winthorpe III, while Murphy, 62, played street crook Billy Ray Valentine.
At one point, in the midst of a plot of revenge against the wealthy pair of siblings (played by Ralph Bellamy and Don Ameche), Winthorpe disguises himself as a drab Jamaican with a stereotypical accent and dark make-up, which exposes them to their brutal social experimentation.
Photo courtesy of Paramount
“Eddie and I were improvising there,” Aykroyd said, remembering the scene. “Eddie is a Black man and he was surrounded by all Black people, and I don’t think they even blinked. There was no objection then; nobody said anything. It was a good comic book beat that stayed true to the story.
The actor continued, “In these days we live in, everything is going out the window. I would have a hard time getting a British accent and getting away with it. They’d say, ‘Oh, you’re not British, you can’t do that’. ”
Aykroyd also considered trading places‘ legacy, 40 years later the film ‘right there it’s a wonderful life or A Christmas Story” as a favorite for winter vacation.
trading places
He also admitted to eating real salmon covered in hair in one memorable scene as a bearded Santa Claus. “Of course I ate salmon from the beard,” he told The Daily Beast. “Absolutely. Buy it after you get it, I can tell you.
In 2021, Aykroyd reflected on his sensibility in today’s comedy world. Hollywood Reporter. “You don’t have to go to draw divider cards to laugh,” he said. “There is so much in the world that exists outside of aggression to comment on. As a writer, you can go to other fields and have successful creative endeavors.
“Who can be the subject of an impression today?” he continued. “This is a discussion area. Can I impersonate James Brown? He was one of my best friends. I sound very good. But maybe I shouldn’t anymore.
Jean Baptiste Lacroix/WireImage
Aykroyd will now appear on the screen in the untitled sequel of the 2021s. Ghostbusters: Afterlifereunited him with the costars of the original 1984 film, Bill Murray and Ernie Hudson. He has also signed on as the writer and producer of an upcoming TV series adaptation of the hit 1980 movie. blues brothers.