Breaking his silence. After Bill Murray’s upcoming film Being Mortal was suspended due to allegations of his behavior, he has since spoken out about his actions.
“I did something that I thought was funny, and it wasn’t perceived that way,” Murray, 71, told CNBC on Saturday, April 30, noting that there were “differences of opinion” between him and the woman he worked with.
While the “Ghostbusters” star declined to go into details about the alleged encounter or the subject of his comments, he told TV host Becky Quick that he had spent the past week reflecting on his actions.
“At the moment we are talking and trying to reconcile with each other,” the Illinois native said on Saturday while attending Berkshire Hathaway’s annual shareholder meeting. “We’re both professionals, we like each other’s work, we like each other, I think, and if we can’t really get along and trust each other, there’s no point in continuing to work together or make a movie. It was a good education for me.”
Deadline previously reported on April 21 that the production of the Searchlight Pictures project, based on Atul Gawande’s book of the same name, was suspended amid an ongoing investigation. The complaint alleged that the “Saturday Night Live” alum behaved inappropriately on the set.
During his Saturday interview, the “Difficulties of Translation” actor expressed hope and optimism that “we are going to make peace” and production will resume if the alleged victim feels comfortable.
“I think it’s a sad dog that can’t learn anymore,” Murray said, discussing how he learned from his mistakes. “This is a really sad puppy who can’t learn anymore. I don’t want to be this sad dog and I’m not going to do it. What would make me the happiest is that I would put on my boots and we would both go back to work and be able to trust each other and work on a job that we both spent a lot of time developing [filmmaking] skills.
He continued: “The world is different from what it was when I was a little kid. You know, what I always thought was funny as a kid doesn’t necessarily coincide with what’s funny now. Things change and times change, so it’s important for me to understand that, and I think the most important thing is that it’s better for the other person.”
It is reported that Murray’s colleagues and crew members were informed about the closure of the film, which is scheduled for release in 2023, in a letter.
“We are sincerely grateful to all of you for everything you have invested in this project. We hope to resume production, and [we are] working with [director] Aziz [Ansari] and [producer Yuri Henley] to determine that time,” the statement allegedly said, according to Variety. “The production will contact you to share details about the wrapper and we will let you know as soon as we have more information.”
The Groundhog Day actor’s behavior previously made headlines after Lucy Liu, with whom he co-starred in 2003’s Charlie’s Angels, said last year that he used “inexcusable and unacceptable” expressions when they worked together. Murray, for his part, did not respond to the claims at the time.
