Bill Murray opens up about Being Mortal misconduct allegations: ‘I ended up being barbecued’

Also Read: ‘There’s love. That is what we came with and that is what we will go with’: Bill Murray

Being Mortal, which was being directed by Aziz Ansari and also starred Seth Rogen and Keke Palmer, was suddenly asked to shut production after a complaint was filed. According to Bill Murray, it all started during a scene rehearsal in a closed room (this was during COVID, so everyone was masked). He says he kissed a female crew member. Because both of them were wearing masks, he thought it was harmless and funny. “It wasn’t like I touched her,” he said. “It was just a kiss through a mask, through another mask, to another person. And she wasn’t a stranger.”

Murray said it was something he had done before, something he believed was “light” and silly. “I thought it was funny. To me, it’s still funny. It’s stupid. That’s all it was.” But the crew member didn’t see it that way. The incident then led to a full investigation by Disney’s Searchlight division. Murray said he felt blindsided by how serious things got. “I thought I was trying to make peace,” he said. “I ended up, in my mind, being barbecued.” He went on to say that there was no real discussion between them, no chance to clear the air, it just went straight to what he called “lunatic arbitration.”

Bill Murray also mentioned that the studio’s HR (which he jokingly called more intense than some countries’ entire governments) pointed out that there were “preexisting conditions,” something he was not aware of. “How is anyone supposed to know stuff like that?” he asked. What stings even more for Murray is the aftermath of the investigation and the backlash that followed. “When someone has an episode like mine on Being Mortal, the world goes searching for more proof that this person is a monster — an absolute monster,” he said. “I’ve had interactions with hundreds of thousands of people over 40-50 years. You can come up with half a dozen bad ones. If you really worked, maybe a couple dozen. But that’s not the full story.”

Also read | Bill Murray opens up about accusation of inappropriate behaviour: ‘I did something I thought was funny’

The Ghostbuster actor made sure to make the most of his time on the podcast. He went on to address other allegations too, including Geena Davis’ claim of inappropriate behaviour on Quick Change, and Richard Dreyfuss’ claim that Murray threw an ashtray at him while filming What About Bob? “That story’s never gonna be true,” Murray shot back about the ashtray. “If I’d have thrown it at Dreyfuss, I’d have hit him.” He said he did throw something, but it was at the ceiling, not at anyone. “I threw it up in a far corner of the townhouse, assuming it might break upon contact with the ceiling and the walls, but I didn’t throw it at anyone.” As for learning anything from the Being Mortal fallout, Murray paused and said, “You can teach an old dog new tricks.” But he said he still feels misunderstood.