"It's really cool to work with a great actor who was in movies like Dr. Dolittle and Daddy Day Care," she says. "I love his voice as Donkey in Shrek, and as Mushu, the little dragon, in Mulan."
Murphy made quite an impression on other members of the cast, too. Thomas Haden Church, who plays Evan’s business rival, the pseudo-mystical Native American Johnny Whitefeather, was amazed by Murphy’s highly professional approach.
"Off-camera, he's very low key, very serious and very focused," Church says of Murphy. "And then, with the precision of a surgeon, he just brings it up and puts it away."
At one point during production, one of the scenes originally shot in Denver was lost due to a technical problem. Church recalls being blown away by Murphy’s performance when the scene was reshot in Los Angeles, a full 10 weeks later.
"I watched him and he just nailed it," Church says. "It was incredible to witness. I'm fairly worshipful of him."
Murphy, who was nominated for an Oscar for his part in Dreamgirls, has several new films in the works. Later this year, he is set to star in the comedy A Thousand Words as well as a remake of The Incredible Shrinking Man.#
Other upcoming projects: Richard Pryor: Is It Something I Said? and the long-awaited fourth installment of the Beverly Hills Cop series, in which Murphy will reprise the role of Detective Axel Foley, the performance that launched him into the cinematic stratosphere 25 years ago.
As for Imagine That, the film’s themes of appreciating one’s children and keeping alive the gift of a child-like imagination seem to be close to Murphy’s heart.
"Where would we be if we didn’t have a chance to flex our imagination?" the actor says. "As a father, I’m always reminded by my children that you can still pretend and imagine. And it’s even better when you spend time with them and create something together."
Imagine That is released 14th August.
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