Actor Eddie Murphy had been tight-lipped about discussing his divorce from wife Nicole after 12 years of marriage, but yesterday on the Oprah Show, Murphy briefly broke his silence about his divorce.

During the show, which featured the cast of the upcoming DreamGirls movie, fellow comedian-turned-actor Jamie Foxx complimented on how he transformed himself into his character James “Thunder” Early and reverted back to “quiet and docile” after he completed each scene.

"I don't want to make it seem like I was, you know, all Joe Actor,” said 45-year-old Murphy. "I was going through a big divorce, so between shots I was like, 'damn.'"

Nicole Murphy filed for divorce in Aug. 2005. She cited “irreconcilable differences.” Nicole, a model who married Murphy in a lavish wedding that was featured in Ebony magazine in 1993, sought joint custody for the couple’s five children.

Murphy said the movie came along at the right time because his divorce “was real emotional," he said during the Oprah Show interview.

"So it was really good because I had all that going on and that's going on under your skin; you get on the set and when you're acting ... (it took) me to a different place emotionally," he said.

DreamGirls, which will be in theaters on Christmas Day, is about three friends from Chicago who travel to New York City to compete in the talent show at the Apollo Theater. They lost the contest, but gained a manager who helped elevate the group to the next level.

Murphy has recently been romantically linked to former Spice Girl Melanie “Scary” Spice. According a People magazine, Murphy and his Spice Girl vacationed together with their children in Hawaii in August.

They couple and the kids stayed at his favorite $10,700 a night, luxury hotel suite at the Four Seasons in Maui. It was also reported that Murphy’s five kids and Scary Spice’s daughter bonded during the trip.

Murphy’s divorce to his wife was finalized in April 2006. Murphy got his break as a regular on Saturday Night Live. He has starred in several movies, including Trading Places, Beverly Hills Cop, Boomerang, 48 Hours, Nutty Professor and he was the voice of Donkey in Shrek.