Eddie Murphy's daughter, Bella Murphy, stars in Netflix's 'Roomates' alongside Sadie Sandler and Chloe East
Credit: Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic
NEED TO KNOW
- Bella Murphy stars in Netflix’s Roommates, marking her first major studio project without her father, Eddie Murphy
- Murphy bonded with her castmates on set, including Sadie Sandler, Chloe East and Jaya Harper
- She says the experience taught her to trust herself as an actor and approach auditions as growth opportunities
Bella Murphy is making her own mark in Netflix's Roommates.
The actress, 24, stars alongside Sadie Sandler, Chloe East and Laura Dern's daughter Jaya Harper in the Adam Sandler-produced movie about Devon (Sandler), a college freshman whose roommate, Celeste (East), goes from being her best friend to her sworn enemy. Murphy is Amber, a freshman who lives down the hall from Celeste and Devon and develops issues with her own roommate, Harper's Olivia.
Murphy, Eddie Murphy's youngest child with his ex-wife Nicole Mitchell, made her feature film debut in her dad's Coming 2 America (2021), followed by 2023's Fairyland. But Roommates marks her first time in a major studio project — on her own.
She may have been ready to make a splash, but nerves still came into play, she says.
"When I got to set, I asked [director] Chandler [Levack], I was like, 'Is there a certain… Is she a little bit more dorky? What's the vibe?' And she was like, 'Just be yourself,' " Murphy tells PEOPLE. "And I was like, 'How do I do that? What do I do?' "
She continues, "So I was a little nervous, but it was really cool. A lot of Amber is really just me, just a lot of observing and taking things in, being like, 'That's a little strange.' And I'm kind of that friend in the group that picks up on stuff that goes over people's heads a lot, so it was really fun to be myself and to bring that into that character."
Credit: Scott Yamano/Netflix
Nerves aside, Murphy had a strong group of girls to support her. Though she didn't know her costars on a personal level before she came to set, Murphy quickly found solace in her castmates. "It felt like we were all there for each other, and if someone was a little nervous about something, we were all able to talk about it," she recalls.
"I think we all supported each other a lot, and it was really cool to be able to feel comfortable to be like, 'Hey, I'm a little nervous today,' " Murphy says. "But that didn't last. That was just at the very beginning of the film, first-day jitters. I remember when I first got it, I wasn't nervous, and then I got to set, and I was like, 'Oh, my God, I'm nervous all of a sudden.' But all those nerves turned into excitement, and it was nice how we could all be there for each other."
Months later, the girls still have a group chat that remains active today — and especially around the time of the movie's premiere in April.
"We were sharing our outfits, and stuff, and like, 'What are you going to wear? And what do you think about this outfit?' " she says.
Credit: Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic
Now, a month removed from the film's release, Murphy is looking back at the biggest lesson she's learned: to trust herself.
As a self-professed forward looker, Murphy says her main takeaway was to "trust myself more as an actor, and then just be present and have fun." She's taken that wisdom with her in her approach to auditions, admitting that she used to get nervous but now views them as "growth opportunities."
"[I think], 'Okay, what can I learn from this one? How can I get better with each one?' And they're really fun for me. I think that helps keep me excited, and being like, 'Okay, there's something to learn from this,' and not to be so rigid with things, like to have fun and to be free. So now I love them, but I used to be scared and just nervous," she says.
Credit: Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic
As for what's next in her career? Murphy won't say, for fear of sharing her manifestations. "You guys will just have to wait and see what I do," she teases.
But what she does share is that she's open to everything — whether that be following in her dad's comedic footsteps or exploring new genres altogether.
"I'm a little bit interested in everything. I'm just drawn to stories that I love and make me happy, and that are things that people can connect to, and I can connect to," Murphy says. "I'll do whatever as long as it's aligned with the beautiful work that I want to continue doing."
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Roommates is now streaming on Netflix.
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