Dan Aykroyd has admitted he probably would not put on Blackface for a movie role today.
During a recent interview with The Daily Beast, the 70-year-old actor recalled working with Eddie Murphy on the 1983 comedy Trading Places - where his character appeared in Blackface and sported dreadlocks and a Caribbean accent.
"I was in Blackface in that film, and I probably couldn't get away with it now," Dan told the publication. "Eddie and I were improvising there. Eddie is a Black man and his entourage were all Black people, and I don't think they batted an eye. There was no objection then; nobody said anything. It was just a good comic beat that was truthful to the story."
The Ghostbusters star confessed that he "probably wouldn't choose" to do Blackface or an accent in a movie today, nor would he be "allowed" to do it.
"I probably wouldn't be allowed to do a Jamaican accent, white face or Black," Dan continued. "In these days we're living in, all that's out the window. I would be hard-pressed to do an English accent and get away with it. They'd say, 'Oh, you're not English, you can't do it.'"
The comedy - which grossed $120 million (£95 million) at the worldwide box office - also starred Jamie Lee Curtis, who recently expressed some regret towards her role in the movie.
Speaking with People Magazine in March 2022, the now 64-year-old Halloween actor confessed to feeling "embarrassed" at filming a nude scene in the film and that she "wouldn't do it today".
During a recent interview with The Daily Beast, the 70-year-old actor recalled working with Eddie Murphy on the 1983 comedy Trading Places - where his character appeared in Blackface and sported dreadlocks and a Caribbean accent.
"I was in Blackface in that film, and I probably couldn't get away with it now," Dan told the publication. "Eddie and I were improvising there. Eddie is a Black man and his entourage were all Black people, and I don't think they batted an eye. There was no objection then; nobody said anything. It was just a good comic beat that was truthful to the story."
The Ghostbusters star confessed that he "probably wouldn't choose" to do Blackface or an accent in a movie today, nor would he be "allowed" to do it.
"I probably wouldn't be allowed to do a Jamaican accent, white face or Black," Dan continued. "In these days we're living in, all that's out the window. I would be hard-pressed to do an English accent and get away with it. They'd say, 'Oh, you're not English, you can't do it.'"
The comedy - which grossed $120 million (£95 million) at the worldwide box office - also starred Jamie Lee Curtis, who recently expressed some regret towards her role in the movie.
Speaking with People Magazine in March 2022, the now 64-year-old Halloween actor confessed to feeling "embarrassed" at filming a nude scene in the film and that she "wouldn't do it today".