Eddie Murphy became one of Hollywood’s biggest stars at such a young age , and there was no obvious handbook waiting for him. James Brown, for instance, apparently believed the then up-and-coming young comedian’s best path to a long career involved cleaner language and a shovel. Murphy recalled the wonderfully strange conversation in Apple TV’s Number One on the Call Sheet: Black Leading Men in Hollywood. His story begins with Brown warning that his famously profane stand-up act could shorten his time in show business. Per the Mr. Robinson's Neighborhood sketch performer :James Brown told me to; he asked me to — he told me I should stop cursing.