THE ROUGH ROAD TO THE TOP

EDDIE MURPHY, GABRIELLE UNION AND MORE DISCUSS THE OBSTACLES TO STARDOM AND THE THRILL OF MAKING IT WHEN YOU'RE TALENTED AND BLACK IN THE NEW DOCUMENTARY NUMBER ONE ON THE CALL SHEET

- By JEREMY HELLIGAR

Washington (in the documentary) says he was "proud" of what the Black Panther team accomplished.

Denzel Washington “cried a little bit” the first time he saw Black Panther in 2018. “I felt like the baton had been passed,” says Washington, 70, in the new Apple TV+ documentary Number One on the Call Sheet. The two-parter features top Black actors sharing their tales of success, frustration and support from the front lines of Hollywood.

Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman ascended to A-list heights—but tragically died of cancer in 2020 at age 43, two years after the landmark superhero hit. His costar Michael B. Jordan nearly breaks down while worrying that he wasn't there for his friend in his final days. “It's something I think about often,” says Jordan, 38. “Not checking up as much as I should. It's something that weighs on me.” It's one of the most touching moments in the documentary. Here are some other surprising revelations from Black stars about their journeys.

James Brown told Eddie Murphy to hide his money in the woods, and Sidney Poitier told him to stay in his (comedy) lane.

Eddie Murphy reveals that he aced his first and only audition ever. “When I was 19, I got Saturday Night Live, and things just started happening,” says Murphy, 63. “I had one audition in my whole life. I think I’m the only actor that could say that. I had one audition. It was for Saturday Night Live.”