United Kingdom, Jan. 4 -- Eddie Murphy left the 2007 Oscars ceremony early as he didn't want "sympathy" for missing out on the Best Supporting Actor award.

The 64-year-old actor was nominated for his portrayal of James 'Thunder' Early in the musical movie Dreamgirls but missed out to the late Alan Arkin for Little Miss Sunshine and explained that he decided to make a swift exit after Hollywood legend Clint Eastwood consoled him.

Eddie told Entertainment Weekly: "What happened was I was at the Oscars, I had lost, and then people kept coming over to me and kept (patting) me on the shoulder.

"Clint Eastwood came and rubbed my shoulder. And I was like, oh, no, no, I'm not gonna be this guy all night. Let's just leave. I didn't storm out. I...