Movies Bronson Pinchot recalls receiving death threat at the height of Beverly Hills Cop fame: 'Who's ready for that?' The actor reprises his fan-favorite role as Serge in the upcoming "Beverly Hills Cop 4: Axel F." By Jessica Wang Jessica Wang Jessica is a staff writer at Entertainment Weekly, where she covers TV, movies, and pop culture. Her work has appeared in Bustle, NYLON, Cosmopolitan, InStyle, and more. She lives in California with her dog. EW's editorial guidelines Published on July 2, 2024 12:43PM EDT Bronson Pinchot was not ready for the fame that would follow after his brief but memorable role in the first Beverly Hills Cop film. As the heavily-accented art gallery worker Serge, Pinchot had about two minutes of screen time with Eddie Murphy's police detective Axel Foley, but his performance — marked by his character's inability to pronounce Axel Foley's name — made an impression. While much of his interactions with strangers were positive, some were frightening. Eddie Murphy reveals why he 'forced' himself to lose his iconic laugh after Beverly Hills Cop “Everybody's staring at you," Pinchot recalled of the intense fan attention to PEOPLE. "And people sometimes will even make a death threat. They'll say, ‘Do the character for my girlfriend,' and you say, ‘I think I'll just have my fruit salad, thank you.’ And then they say, ‘I'll have to kill you now.’ I mean, that's a real thing." Bronson Pinchot and Eddie Murphy in 'Beverly Hills Cop III'. Everett Other encounters were more surreal. Pinchot wasn't just a favorite among fans, but also the famous. "Five seconds after the movie came out, I met Carrie Fisher and she took me to a party at Rod Stewart’s house," Pinchot recalled. "I’m chatting with Elton John like, 'What’s going on?'" During another encounter, a group of excited teenagers jumped out of their car when they spotted Pinchot near his Los Angeles apartment. “They jumped out and started to make a fuss," Pinchot recalled. “I went from poverty to people driving up on the sidewalk. I wasn't ready. Who's ready for that?" Eddie Murphy gets his Foley groove back in the Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F trailer Pinchot didn't return for the 1987 sequel, but reprised his beloved role in Beverly Hills Cop III and once again in the upcoming Beverly Hills Cop 4: Axel F, premiering July 3 on Netflix. Original franchise stars Judge Reinhold, John Ashton, and Paul Reiser also return alongside Murphy and Pinchot in the film, which follows Axel Foley as he teams with a new partner (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) to unravel a conspiracy after his daughter's (Taylour Paige) life is threatened. Want more movie news? Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free newsletter to get the latest trailers, celebrity interviews, film reviews, and more. Ahead of the film's premiere, Netflix released "Serge's Guide to Beverly Hills," a delightful segment featuring Pinchot's character as he gives the inside scoop on all the best places to see in the city. Watch it above.