FILM · 1986
The Golden Child
28 archived facts 3 topics 1 source Last reviewed Oct 2026
All facts (28)
- #001
Although the boy in The Golden Child is referred to as a male throughout the film, J. L. Reate is actually a girl.
- #002
Charlotte Lewis was only 18 years old when she made The Golden Child. J. L. Reate was 6.
- #003
The film was conceived as a serious adventure drama starring Mel Gibson. After Gibson turned it down and Eddie Murphy took his place, the script was rewritten as a partial comedy.
- #004
George Miller was Eddie Murphy's first choice as director. Murphy turned down the offer because he had kept him waiting four hours at a meeting.
- #005
In an interview with Fangoria #113, Charles Dance explained how the film was heavily altered by Paramount after the first test screening. "Originally, The Golden Child was a very interesting script that had a lot of resonance, but Paramount basically got scared. The first time they saw it, it was a very different kind of film for Eddie Murphy. Paramount paid too much attention to the preview audience's unease with Eddie's character being unfamiliar. They knew him so well through Beverly Hills Cop (1984) that they wanted the character to be more like him. So the studio went back and reshot a lot of footage of Eddie doing 'Eddie Murphy-isms' and put them into the picture. Then they took out a really magnificent, strange and beautiful piece by John Barry and replaced it with something more conventional."
- #006
Shortly after Dr Hong introduces Chandler to the Dragon Lady, who sits behind a screen, Chandler makes a joke that she does not find funny. Dr Hong calms her by speaking in Mandarin, saying, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, he has no manners."
- #007
While promoting Coming to America (1988), Eddie Murphy trashed The Golden Child and said the original script was much better than the finished product (in fact, the novelization is closer to what was intended).
- #008
It was the first Eddie Murphy film to be rated PG-13, owing to the absence of the f-word typical of his films of the '80s and early '90s. His next PG-13 film would come ten years later with The Nutty Professor (1996).
- #009
In the summer of 1986, a teaser trailer containing no footage from the film was released, showing Eddie Murphy riding a Tibetan yak through a snowstorm and saying, "If I'm the Chosen One, how come I'm freezing while you're sitting in a warm theater? Chosen One, my ass! Why couldn't somebody choose me to go to the Bahamas?" Vilmos Zsigmond shot the teaser, which was not officially released on home video (and was even missing from the 2020 "Paramount Presents" blu-ray), but it finally became available on YouTube in 2021 through amateur film scanner Denis-Carl Robidoux.
- #010
John Carpenter was offered the directing job. He instead directed the similar film Big Trouble in Little China (1986), which also featured Victor Wong, James Hong and Peter Kwong.
- #011
After this, Eddie Murphy would write his next five films in a row, up to The Distinguished Gentleman (1992).
- #012
Its original title was The Rose of Tibet.
- #013
Frank Welker provides the Demon Voice for the Thing and the Dark Lord in this film. He also uses the Demon Voice for Dr. Claw in Inspector Gadget (1983), Darkseid in Super Friends (1973), Lord Krulos in Dino-Riders (1988), Shao Kahn in Mortal Kombat (1995) and the Devil Malebolgia in Spawn (1997).
- #014
The house where Chandler stays after returning from Nepal with the dagger is the same house Steven Seagal uses to come out of his coma in Hard to Kill (1990).
- #015
The script attracted a bidding war. Paramount ultimately paid $330,000 for it.
- #016
This was J. L. Reate's first and only theatrical performance, but Reate still remained in the film industry: as of 2019, Reate was serving as managing director of events at the Toronto Film Festival.
- #017
The dagger used in the film would later be used again in The Shadow (1994).
- #018
Alan Silvestri was the first choice to write the film's score and even met with the producers about the job in the spring of 1986. In late summer, it was announced that John Barry had been hired to score the film.
- #019
The sharp weapons used by the servant Tommy Tong are actually hooked swords.
- #020
The knives carried by one of the servants at the beginning of the film are the same knives used by Thunder in Big Trouble in Little China (1986).
- #021
The end title sequence does not scroll; instead it opens and closes on screen as a series of separate title cards.
- #022
This was Eddie Murphy's first fantasy film.
- #023
In the scene where Chandler (Eddie Murphy) asks for the dagger in the Tibetan temple, he makes a humorous rap/DJ record-scratching effect with the spinning column, which was probably improvised. If you look closely, you can see actress Charlotte Lewis covering her face to hide her laughter.
- #024
"The Old Man" tells Jarrell that in order to get the dagger back he must carry "this glass of water without spilling one drop." However, when Jarrell falls onto the rope bridge, at least two drops of water can be seen spilling.
- #025
In the scene where they leave Nepal, the soldiers wear berets with the Australian Army "Rising Sun" hat badge.
- #026
Years after the film's release, Eddie Murphy admitted that he did it entirely for financial reasons. He expressed regret that, as a lifelong huge Star Trek (1966) fan, he had been offered a significant role in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986), but The Golden Child (1986) was at least on paper more financially attractive as well as making him the headline star. Looking back, however, he said he wished he had chosen to be part of the Star Trek film's cast, even though his salary would have been much less than for this film.
- #027
The Golden Child was also a novel by George C. Chesbro (1940-2008), known for his series of mystery novels featuring Dr. Robert (Mongo) Frederickson.
- #028
Chandler Mosely gives his phone number as 468-8492.
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