Both were SNL alumnus and top tier stand up comics and both got their breakthrough in popular buddy cop movies.
https://lebeauleblog.com/2014/10/18/what-the-hell-happened-to-damon-wayans/
https://www.reddit.com/r/movies/comments/13n33se/why_do_you_think_damon_wayans_couldnt_break_out/
Just my take, not having seen a lot of Damon's work but he always seems a bit more comical and whimsical than Eddie Murphy did. Eddie seemed to pull off being funny while still being respectable, not as much as a goof ball as Damon Wayans comes across as.
shareEddie Murphy was always mainstream and never did risque humor.
Wayans has always been more controversial.
Ever see "Eddie Murphy RAW?" That's about as risque as one can get! 😃
I think Damon Wayans had a pretty nice career after "In Living Color." "My Wife & Kids" was a pretty good show. I thought I read an interview with him that the show was pretty close to mirroring his own life. He was married and trying to raise his kids. I don't think he really wanted to go down Eddie Murphy's career path.
Okay, I never saw raw. But Murphy went mainstream pretty quick. I'm a big Damon Wayans fan though.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCeVGpWqQ0w
IF HE HAD KEPT PUSHING AT FILMS INSTEAD OF DOING THE SHOW HE MIGHT HAVE FOUND THAT ONE ROLE THAT MADE IT ALL WORK...THE SHOW WAS GOOD...BUT IT WAS ALSO KIND OF THE LAST OF HIS LEADING MAN PRIME.
shareEddie Murphy was always mainstream and never did risque humor.
AS EDDIE MURPHY WOULD SAY....WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT,MOTHERFUCKER?
The most hilarious thing Eddie Murphy ever did was get caught with a transgender hooker in Hollywood. And I never bought his lame excuse for that either.
shareDUDE LIKED TO FUCK AROUND WITH A DICK ONCE IN A WHILE...WHO CARES?...HE SHOULD HAVE BEEN STRAIGHT UP ABOUT THAT SHIT.
shareI think he's straight up gay.
shareQUESTION...
BEING A GAY DUDE...HOW EASY IS IT TO HAVE SEX WITH A WOMAN?...I USED TO HAVE A NEIGHBOR WHO WAS MARRIED AND HAD FOUR KIDS...WHEN HE WAS IN HIS 40S AND DIVORCED HE CAME OUT AS THE GAYEST GUY I HAVE EVER KNOWN...COOL GUY...BUT HIS KIDS HATED HIM...I GOT NO ISSUES WITH DICK LOVERS...BUT AS A 90% STRAIGHT GUY...I WOULD STRUGGLE TO HAVE SEX WITH A GUY...LET ALONE LIVE THAT LIFE FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME.
I've been with women. Your neighbor was probably bisexual.
shareSO INSTEAD OF MIXING IT UP ALL ALONG...HE WENT FIRST HALF LADIES...SECOND HALF DUDES.
shareI FEEL LIKE I SHOULD MAKE SURE YOU DON'T KNOW HIM...HE LIVES IN YOUR AREA...RICK BROWN?...LONG SHOT I KNOW...BUT LAST I HEARD HE WAS LIVING IT UP IN THE L.A. GAY SCENE...SPENDING WEEKENDS AT SOME HOUSE WITH CAMERAS IN EVERY ROOM.
shareWas he in the Navy? That branch, especially the sub service, attracts gay men, and those looking to make a career of it, get a wife and kids just because they see it as good for their career.
shareI thought he made a breakout alright, shared a name with his brother, and went a different trajectory. Hadn't really seen him since The Underground, he made it a little more hip-hop than usual Hollywood sets, plus changes in his routine from kid to adult themed. But he's always had an acting part in circumspect with the creative direction so that's where it probably gets the frecking style points
shareThe industry did seem to feel he was the Wayans brother with the most potential to be the next Eddie Murphy type & was getting a decent push in the early to mid 90s. He made a few decent movies but he never managed to be part of a bonified hit so industry moved on. I came across a thread theorizing that Will Smith inadvertently stole his career when his star rapidly began to rise in the mid 90s with a steady stream of hit movies for the rest of the decade. I think there may be something to that theory. Ultimately it just seemed to be bad luck for Damon Wayans because i do think he was talented and made a few legitimately decent movies but they never managed to do better than just alright at the box office.
shareHIS STRONGEST WORK WAS IN BULLETPROOF AND THE LAST BOYSCOUT...A SANDLER MISFIRE AND A WILLIS SLEEPER.
share