CS Video: Eddie Murphy and Lucy Fry on Mr. Church

Eddie Murphy and Lucy Fry on Mr. Church

In Mr. Church, Eddie Murphy plays Henry Church, a mysterious man who appears at the behest of Marie’s (Natascha McElhone) late lover. He’s been paid to cook for Marie and her daughter Charlie (Britt Robertson) while Marie deals with an illness, for six months. He’s a brilliant cook, but his private life is a mystery to them. He lends them books, takes care of them when they’re down, and when tragedy strikes, his six-month cooking gig turns into a far longer relationship with the family.

The film is set in 1965 Los Angeles and is based on the life of writer Susan McMartin (“Mom,” “Two and a Half Men”). Mr. Church marks Murphy’s return to the big screen after an absence of four years and is definitely not his usual fare. We got a chance to attend the press day in Los Angeles recently where we spoke to Murphy as well as Lucy Fry, who plays Charlie’s best friend Poppy.

Fry told us about working with Murphy and the cooking on the set (Make sure you eat before you go or you’re going to be hungry!). She spoke about how she approaches a role like this and the crazy ‘80s fashions she got to wear later in the film. Murphy talked about why this was the role that brought him back to work. He spoke about this director (Bruce Beresford) and how playing Henry Church was a huge departure for him in terms of the type of role he usually takes. He also talked about the possibility of doing a role like this again.

Check out our interviews below and let us know what you think. Are you excited to see the film? What do you think of the idea of Eddie Murphy playing a quiet role after what we’ve seen him do in the past? Mr. Church will hit theaters on September 16.