Bill Murray Defends On-Set Behavior That Halted Being Mortal

Bill Murray has addressed the 2022 incident that led to the suspension and eventual shutdown of Being Mortal, a film directed by Aziz Ansari and produced by Searchlight Pictures. In a new interview with The New York Times, the actor described what happened on set as a failed attempt at humor, which resulted in a formal complaint and a six-figure settlement.

Murray said he kissed a female crew member while both were wearing masks and briefly straddled her, calling it something he had done before and considered lighthearted. “It wasn’t like I touched her,” he said. “I gave her a kiss through a mask. And she wasn’t a stranger.”

He added that they had worked together and shared meals during the shoot. “It was Covid, we were all wearing masks, and we were all stranded in this one room listening to this crazy scene. I dunno what prompted me to do it,” he said.

The crew member filed a complaint, and production on Being Mortal was halted. The film, which was in early stages, was eventually scrapped. Murray reached a $100,000 settlement with the complainant, who cited emotional distress and claimed the action was unwanted.

“I thought it was funny, and every time it happened, it was funny,” Murray said. “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.”

Murray voiced frustration with how the studio responded after the complaint. “It still bothers me because that movie was stopped by the human rights or ‘H & R’ of the Disney corporation,” he said. “There was no conversation, there was nothing. There was no peacemaking, nothing.”

He said the incident led to arbitration, which he criticized sharply. “If anyone ever suggests you go to arbitration: Don’t do it. Never ever do it. Because you think it’s justice, and it isn’t,” he said.

At the time, Murray had said he hoped for a resolution. “I tried to make peace. I thought I was trying to make peace. I ended up being, to my mind, barbecued,” he told The Times. “I don’t go too many days or weeks without thinking of what happened in Being Mortal.”

The actor recently drew renewed attention during an appearance on Watch What Happens Live to promote the film The Friend with co-star Naomi Watts. During a Q&A segment, as Watts was being asked about her most memorable on-screen kiss, Murray leaned in and kissed her before she could respond. The moment was widely circulated online and described by some viewers as inappropriate. Representatives for both actors have not issued public responses.

Murray’s past behavior on sets has drawn comments from several co-stars and directors over the years. Lucy Liu, Geena Davis, and Richard Dreyfuss have described difficult experiences working with him, and tensions with Harold Ramis were well documented. At the same time, the actor has remained a prominent figure in American film and pop culture.

He said public attention has followed him even outside of film roles. “So now what I do for a living is, I take cellphone photographs. I’m not an actor. I am a donkey that is photographed with people who don’t know how to operate their own cellphone camera,” he said. “I don’t regret it. I don’t resent it.”