Aziz Ansari has finally spoken out about the uproar concerning Bill Murray, stemming from an alleged incident during the filming of his movie, "Being Mortal," in 2022. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the 42-year-old comedian opened up about Murray's alleged misconduct on set, revealing that the 74-year-old actor was "devastated" by the accusations.
"He couldn't believe it happened," Ansari shared, emphasizing how much the film meant to Murray. The controversy erupted in April 2022 when a younger female crew member accused Murray of misconduct. Reports claimed that Murray had straddled the woman on a prop bed and kissed her on the mouth through COVID masks worn for safety on set. A settlement of just over $100,000 was reportedly reached with the accuser in October of that year.
The incident led to an internal investigation, resulting in the indefinite suspension of "Being Mortal," which was being produced by Disney-owned Searchlight Pictures. Ansari, who was set to lead the project, faced an uncertain future.
In a candid interview with The New York Times in April, Murray admitted to feeling "barbecued" by the experience, despite attempts to "make peace" with the affected parties. "I don’t go too many days or weeks without thinking of what happened," he said. "I dunno what prompted me to do it. It’s something that I had done to someone else before, and I thought it was funny. And every time it happened, it was funny."
Murray recalled the kiss, emphasizing that they were both wearing masks and that it wasn't a stranger he kissed. "It wasn’t like I touched her, but it was just, I gave her a kiss through a mask," he said, adding that they had lunch together on various days of the week. When asked if he had learned anything from the experience, the "Groundhog Day" actor responded, "I think so. You can teach an old dog new tricks."
However, he admitted to being greatly disappointed, saying, "I thought I knew someone, and I did not. I certainly thought it was light. I thought it was funny. To me, it’s still funny, the idea that you could give someone a kiss with a mask on. It’s still stupid. It’s all it was."
Ansari, who was flooded with messages of support after production on "Being Mortal" was halted, chose not to dwell on the canceled project. Instead, he turned his focus to "Good Fortune," his upcoming feature directorial debut that he also wrote and costars in alongside Seth Rogen and Keanu Reeves.
"I called Seth," Ansari shared with THR. "I said, 'Hey, I know you’re supposed to be filming "Being Mortal," so you’re free today. This is a shitty day for me. If you want to help me, read this, tell me if you want to do it.'"
"Good Fortune" stars Keke Palmer and Sandra Oh and follows a "well-meaning but rather inept angel named Gabriel" who "meddles in the lives of a struggling gig worker (Ansari) and a wealthy venture capitalist (Rogen, 43)." Reeves, 61, plays Ansari's "budget guardian angel."
In the joint interview with THR, Rogen recalled, "We were saying as we were making it, 'If this movie does nothing else, I hope maybe people tip their DoorDash a little bit more after they watch it.'" He added, "Because one bad review – someone’s annoyed that they didn’t put the sauce in the thing – can really fuck your shit up. We found very comedic ways to do it, but it’s very real, and you haven’t really yet seen something from that person’s perspective."
"Good Fortune" will premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on Saturday, September 6, and will hit theaters on October 17.
