6 Things You May Not Know About ‘Coming to America’

Louie Anderson was cast to keep the studio happy

According to Murphy, comedian Louie Anderson’s role as a McDowell’s employee was included to appease studio executives who wanted “somebody white” in the film. “Louie Anderson is in the original Coming to America because the whole cast was Black and the studio was like, ‘We have to have somebody white in it. We’re not making the movie without somebody white in it.’” Murphy recounted during a 2021 Today interview. “I was like, ‘Really?’ So I was like, ‘Who’s the funniest white guy around and a friend of mine? Oh, Louie’s perfect!’ And that’s how Louie ended up in the movie.”

Read more on the next page...