Since departing Saturday Night Live in 2016, Jay Pharoah has taken his talents to the big screen. The multi-talented performer has appeared in comedic horror films like Bad Hair and The Blackening and has also lent his vocals to animated movies such as Sing and The Mitchells vs. the Machines. As his career continues to unfold, Pharoah has begun exploring new genres. This month, Pharoah makes his biographical picture debut when he brings Cecil Holmes to life in Spinning Gold. While Pharoah is a master of impressions, he went into this role blind, strictly basing his performance around director Tim Bogart’s recollections of Holmes.
Now that he has one under his belt, Pharoah has an extensive index of real-life people that he’d like to portray in a biopic should the opportunity come up. Speaking to ComicBook.com while promoting Spinning Gold, Pharoah revealed some of his dream biopic roles.
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“Let me just pull out my list real quick,” Pharoah said. “We got Charlie Murphy. I definitely want to play him. Robin Harris. I definitely would love to play him. Bernie Mac, if I ever would get a chance to play him, I don’t know how. They would have to aesthetically put some stuff on my face, but I think I could pull that off.”
Pharoah is no stranger to portraying real-life people, as he brought a number of celebrities to life during his SNL tenure, ranging from Barack Obama to Kanye West. While all his SNL roles were limited to a sketch’s duration, Pharoah has interest in reviving his portrayal of West in a feature-length project.
“I was looking at a picture where me and Kanye were smiling, and I said, ‘Wow, we got similar smiles.’ I mean, his cheeks are a little more broad than mine are, but we got similar smiles,” Pharoah continued. “I would love to play him.”
Pharoah concluded his list by pointing to two active actors that he would “love” to suit up as in a biopic.
“If there was any way for me to play Denzel Washington, I would love to do that,” Pharoah added. “Eddie Murphy, I would definitely love to play him at some point if I get a chance to do that. I don’t know. But if I don’t get a chance to play Eddie, like I said, his brother Charlie Murphy. I think I could pull that off.”
Pharoah can be seen as Cecil Holmes whenย Spinning Gold hits theaters Friday, March 31st.
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