Beverly Hills Cop star Judge Reinhold experiences a career comeback following the cancellation of his "executive murder plot" TV series.

In the 1980s, Judge Reinhold was poised to become a huge movie star, but his career took a sudden turn.

Reinhold, who starred in "Beverly Hills Cop" and "Fast Times at Ridgemont High," was given the opportunity to become a leading man in "Vice Versa." However, an "executive murder plot" ended the movie and almost destroyed his career.

Although the actor had appeared in a number of successful movies prior to "Vice Versa," which was released in 1988 and starred Reinhold and Fred Savage playing the part of his son, the movie did not perform at the box office.

Several things happened behind the scenes, according to Reinhold.

David Puttnam, the producer of "Chariots of Fire," became the CEO of Columbia Pictures in 1986 and aimed to reduce the cost of lead actors while increasing backend profits.

Reinhold was confident in his beliefs, but unfortunately, he was not able to demonstrate the validity of his formula because he was killed in an "executive murder plot" orchestrated by industry leaders.

Puttnam publicly expressed his disdain for high salaries and his intentions, which angered many people. Despite not knowing it, the guillotine had already been set for his removal by the time they were ready to be released.

The actor described Puttnam as a "cool guy" and stated, "I trusted him completely. He told me he wanted to use me as a template and make the film profitable. If it was successful, I would benefit. That's how it should be, and we'll lower the price upfront."

Prior to the release of "Vice Versa," the film "Like Father, Like Son," starring Dudley Moore and Kirk Cameron, was released. This movie had a plot similar to Reinhold's film. Reinhold stated that his film went into production after "Vice Versa" and, when it was time to release, it did not receive a fair chance at the box office.

"Reinhold explained to Vanity Fair why he spoke negatively about the film. He was proud of the movie, which was his first time having his name above the title. However, the studio pulled it from theaters right before Easter break, when it had the potential to succeed. The experience was difficult for him, as he felt that the studio had buried the film and watched its failure. Despite their hard work, they saw their efforts go to waste."

In 1992, he told the Los Angeles Times that the end of his highfalutin Hollywood career came when the phone stopped ringing.

In 1980, Reinhold released his first feature film, "Running Scared" or "Desperate Men," a low-budget production where he claimed to have beaten out Dennis Quaid for the role.

Reinhold recalled the director telling him during filming in the Everglades, "We don't have enough money to complete the movie properly. Our budget is very limited. Can we pay you when we return to LA?"

He continued, "I said, 'I may be green, but I'm not stupid.' In the movie, I drove a '59 Cadillac. I said, 'Give me that car, and I'll be yours.'"

"He continued, "They worked it out a little too easily. I got that car. My mother was a realtor in Boca Raton, and I had to leave the car with her and fly back to Los Angeles to audition for 'Ordinary People' for Robert Redford. While I was doing that, my mother had an accident in the car, and it turns out the car was stolen. Somebody had scraped off the registration number. I remember I was on a pay phone in LA and had to explain it to them, but it was long gone.""

He learned a trick to control his laughter while acting alongside Bill Murray, John Candy, and Harold Ramis in "Stripes," a year later. He would also use this technique when working with Eddie Murphy.

"I would squeeze my thighs so hard that they would be bruised at the end of the day just to prevent myself from laughing," he said. "I couldn't blow a take with Bill. There are moments when even Candy almost loses it."

In 1982, Reinhold landed a role in "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" due to sharing a duplex with the movie's director, Amy Heckerling, and dating her assistant. Additionally, Heckerling had initially wanted Nicolas Cage for the part, but he was only 17 at the time.

"Since he was only 17, they would have had to adhere to child labor hours, which would have limited their production schedule and budget. Reluctantly, they decided to let him go."

After his girlfriend suggested he could do it, he eventually won the role and filmed a memorable scene from "Fast Times," where his character is caught masturbating by his crush, played by Phoebe Cates.

"Reinhold confessed that removing the scene from its context made it seem creepy. However, he found it hilarious when he read the script, considering it one of the dumbest and bravest things he had ever done. Despite being simulated, the act was deeply personal and humiliating."

When he read the script, he thought it was hilarious. However, when the day arrived, he realized that it was not easy for Phoebe. He believed they were both awkward and had to work through it. The audience was unaware of the difficulties, and they should not have to think about it. He went with it, and one thing that made performing it easy was his discomfort.

Two years after the release of "Fast Times at Ridgemont High," "Beverly Hills Cop" was shown in theaters, although initially, it was a very different film. In its early stages, Reinhold was cast, and Sylvester Stallone had the lead role. He recalled visiting Stallone to approve his casting.

During filming, the script was rewritten to include more comedy after Stallone left the project. Reinhold stated that they would stop to "refine" scenes that were not working and would improvise to get the feel right.

"I learned on 'Stripes' what it truly required," he stated. "If you're not willing to take a leap of faith, then find another purpose in life. Eddie is quite unconventional. I had to reach into my pockets once more."