In a new interview with Vulture, Griffin explained how he ended up in the Bradley Cooper-directed film and it turns out that a eulogy he offered at Charlie Murphy's funeral played an important part.
"Me and Dave Chappelle were at Charlie Murphy's funeral. I got up there and I got to preaching, and I took over the church," Griffin recalled. Following the funeral, Griffin, Chappelle and George Lopez went out together.
"George said, 'I think you missed your calling — you're supposed to be a preacher.' So, Charlie Murphy's spirit is all over this.'"
Chappelle recommended Griffin to Cooper for the role of the Memphis pastor in the movie and Griffin took a break from his Las Vegas residency to go to Los Angeles and film the scene.
"Bradley, he's bad, man! He's snatching emotional strings every 15 minutes," he said. "And watching Miss Gaga work — I know the woman is going to be nominated for Oscars. She can cry on cue every take," he said. "She's got chops!"