Following the suspension of production of his latest movie, Being Mortal, Bill Murray has commented on his alleged inappropriate behavior with a woman who was also working on the film.
“As of now we are talking and we are trying to make peace with each other,” the 71-year-old actor said during an interview on CNBC.
Production suspended
According to a report from Deadline, Searchlight Pictures initially suspended production on the film adaption of Being Mortal, and after three days production was suspended.
A complaint was filed at the end of April, but details of that complaint have not been made public.
It wasn’t until recently that Murray, who stars in the film alongside Keke Palmer and Seth Rogan, confirmed the complaint was about his behavior.
“I had a difference of opinion with a woman I’m working with. I did something I thought was funny, and it wasn’t taken that way,” he said. “The company, the movie studio, wanted to do the right thing, so they wanted to check it all out, investigate it, and so they stopped the production.”
The actor, known for his roles in Groundhog Day and Ghostbusters, did not go into detail about the incident, but said he was working with the woman who made the complaint.
“We’re talking and we’re trying to make peace with each other. I think that’s where the real issue is, between our peace. We’re both professionals. We like each other’s work.”
He remained confident that the two would work it out so that filming could continue.
“We like each other, I think, and if you can’t really get along and trust each other, there’s no point in going further working together or making a movie as well.”
Murray said he’s spent the several days thinking about the allegation.
“It’s been quite an education for me. I’ve been doing not much else but thinking about it for the last week or two,” he said.
“The world is different than it was when I was a little kid. What I always thought was funny as a little kid isn’t necessarily the same as what’s funny now. Things change and the times change, so it’s important for me to figure it out, and I think the most important thing is that it’s best for the other person.”
Not the first time
This isn’t the first time Murray has been accused of bad behavior.
In 1978, he and Chevy Chase got into a fist fight on SNL when Chase returned to be a guest host. The two later made up.
Richard Dreyfuss accused Murray of acting like “an Irish drunken belly” on the 1991 set of What About Bob. He also reportedly clashed with actress Lucy Liu on the set of Charlie’s Angels in 2000.
In 2007, he was accused of assaulting his ex-wife.
Although there is no timetable for production to resume, Murray hopes everyone can go back to their jobs soon.
“What would make me the happiest would be to put my boots on and for both of us to go back into work and be able to trust each other and work at the work that we’ve both spent a lot of time developing the skill of.”
I hope that whatever occurred is dealt with, and that anyone responsible is held accountable.
