For Bronson Pinchot, reuniting with Eddie Murphy in Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F wasn’t just a fun cameo for their respective characters, Serge and Axel. It was a sentimental moment for the actors who had not shared the screen in years, so improvising Serge’s reaction was natural.

In an interview with ComicBook, Pinchot explained that the scene in which Serge hugs Axel was improvised because it felt like something the character would do. “I’ll tell you something that sounds smarmy, but once in a while, the truth is just kind of gooey,” he said of the scene. “Younger actors say to me sometimes on a set, ‘How do you make every take different? I want to do that – how do you do that?’ And I say, ‘Oh, just don’t act.’ They say, ‘What?’ And I say, ‘Acting ruins everything.'”

‘Once in a while you’re going to have to act because you’re on a green screen, and you have to pretend that aliens are eating your hips. But if it’s not that, if you’re not doing special effects or the person you’re opposite got the flu, and you have to do it to a piece of tape, don’t act,'” Pinchot continued. “So I saw Eddie, and I pulled up, and I saw him, and I really did want to give him a hug. I went up, and I just crushed him, and I hugged him, and it was real. That was special because it was authentic, and I was happy to see him.”

Serge Became A Popular Character Despite His Limited Screen Time

The actor believes that audiences respond positively to his real life bond with Murphy, which is evident on screen. Pinchot made his first appearance as art gallery employee Serge in 1984’s Beverly Hills Cop. Despite his limited screen time, the character made a big enough impression to warrant a return in 1994’s Beverly Hills Cop III. In this film, the character has swapped his career in the art world in favor of running a high-end survival boutique. He remains as eccentric and quirky as ever, emphasizing the boutique’s focus on “Protection, Prestige, and Pretty.”​

Murphy recently revealed why it took so long for Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F to get made. Speaking to CBR’s Kevin Polowy, the actor said it comes down to finding a solid story. “I’m always telling guys, or writers, ‘When you write something, give me something that’s solid, a solid story, and I’ll do comedy. I’ll make it funny,'” he said. “The original Beverly Hills Cop script is not written funny. It was a Sylvester Stallone action movie. It’s like, if you give me anything that any action star has — I’m going to play it like me. So it adds this funny element to it.”

Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F is streaming on Netflix.