"I didn't want people to watch it and be like, 'Oh, that must be his daughter 'cause she can't keep up with everyone else.'"
She may be a princess of the great nation of Zamunda — but that doesn't mean she gets any special treatment.
Eddie Murphy has revealed he insisted his daughter Bella audition for her role in "Coming 2 America".
"She had to audition for Craig Brewer, who directed the movie," the 59-year-old told GMA on Thursday. "I wasn't muscling my kid into the movie. She had to really be able to, you know, to deliver. Otherwise, she wouldn't have got the role."
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View StoryOn-screen, Bella is also Murphy's daughter: Princess Omma to his Prince Akeem.
"I just wanted to be good," Bella said of her debut role. "I didn't want people to watch it and be like, 'Oh, that must be his daughter 'cause she can't keep up with everyone else.' You know what I mean?"
"I just really wanted to do the best that I could," she added. "And I'm really proud with how it turned out."
The teen recalled seeing the original movie — which was released 14 years before she was even born — for the first time.
"I think when I watched it for the first time, I was really young," she said. "And it was the first time I've ever seen Black royalty on screen. And on top of it, it was my dad. So that already was super impactful for me and very empowering."
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View StoryEddie shares Bella — the seventh of his ten children — with ex-wife Nicole Mitchell Murphy.
The sequel sees Prince Akeem returning to America after discovering he has a son there; his dying father King Jaffe (James Earl Jones) insists the boy be groomed as heir to the throne, so sends him back once again with his loyal aide Semmi (Arsenio Hall).
Eddie told GMA he's actually happier the film is being released for home streaming, after the Covid pandemic scuppered plans for a traditional theatrical release.
"It kind of worked out perfect, because more people are going to see it, and I'm happy that it turned out this way," he said.
"Coming 2 America" premieres March 5 on Amazon Prime.