Bill Murray has shed light on the tumultuous aftermath of the complaints filed on the set of "Being Mortal," which led to the film's cancellation and left him feeling "grilled under the public spotlight." In 2022, the production of the Aziz Ansari-directed film came to a halt after a crew member lodged a grievance against Murray. Now, three years later, the actor-comedian has opened up about the alleged incident, describing it as a masked kiss that he "deemed harmlessly humorous."
"I had a mask on, and I planted a kiss on her, who was also masked," he recounted in a Saturday interview with the New York Times. "It wasn't as if I physically violated her space, but merely a peck through a mask. Moreover, she wasn't a complete stranger to me."
The "Ghostbusters" icon emphasized that the altercation detailed in the complaint transpired with "someone I worked alongside, someone I shared meals with on multiple occasions." Although he remains unsure "what spurred that act," he clarified that it unfolded in a moment of confinement, "when we were all cooped up in a room, enduring a bizarre scene."
Furthermore, Murray stood by his actions, citing it as "something I'd pulled on someone else previously." He continued, "I found it amusing, and every time it happened, it elicited laughter."
"It was a profound disappointment, because I believed I understood someone, but I didn't," he lamented. "I genuinely believed it was light-hearted. To me, the notion of planting a kiss on someone through a mask still strikes me as humorous, albeit silly. That's all it ever was."
"Being Mortal," backed by Searchlight Films, a Disney-owned production house, saw its production halted and remained unfinished due to circumstances cited by Murray as Disney's "pre-existing conditions."
"It still gnaws at me because that film was halted by Disney's human resources department," he expressed. "It transpired that there were pre-existing conditions and a myriad of such matters. I'm perplexed; how was anyone supposed to foresee such things? There was no discussion, no resolution attempts. There was no peacemaking, nothing."
Post-suspension, Murray revealed they were subjected to a "crazy arbitration process," advising, "if anyone ever proposes arbitration to you: Shun it. Absolutely avoid it. Because you perceive it as justice, but it isn't." Despite the controversy being three years in the past, Murray admitted that he "seldom goes days or weeks without reminiscing about what transpired on 'Being Mortal'."
