Bill Murray Just Responded To Verbal Abuse Allegations on ‘Being Mortal’ Set: ‘Quite an Education for Me’

This story was updated on 05/07/2022 to reflect the latest updates on Bill Murray and ‘Being Mortal’ following viral allegations and claims of inappropriate behavior on-set (including from previous co-workers like Drew Barrymore and Lucy Liu).

Amid allegations of verbal abuse and his other inappropriate behavior on set, Bill Murray’s upcoming film Being Mortal has been suspended, and the Ghostbusters star has finally broken his silence regarding his actions. “I did something I thought was funny and it wasn’t taken that way,” Murray, 71, said to CNBC last week, stressing that there was a “difference of opinion” between himself and a colleague.

“As of now, we are talking and we are trying to make peace with each other,” the SNL icon said to broadcaster Becky Quick. “We are both professionals, we like each others’ work, we like each other I think and if we can’t really get along and trust each other there’s no point in going further working together or making the movie as well. It’s been quite an education for me.”

Although Murray did not name the co-worker in question, this interview comes after Lucy Liu spoke on the Los Angeles Times’ Asian Enough podcast in July 2021 and said that Murray began to “hurl insults” at her on set of their 2000 film Charlie’s Angels and “kept going on and on” the more they filmed together.

Drew Barrymore, who also appeared in the film, spoke about her support for Liu and opened up about Murray’s alleged abuse in a recent episode of her talk show, where she is frequently candid about her life. Barrymore said that she reached out to Liu in solidarity after the story broke, and even went as far to send her friend and co-star a video she had taken of Murray treating the actress disrespectfully. This served as validation to back up Liu’s claims. Barrymore says Liu appreciated the supportive gesture but “did not need” to show the video to the public.

Barrymore, who worked alongside Liu and Murray during the time of the incident, confirmed from her perspective that his actions on-set were cruel. “You know, comedians can be a little dark sometimes, and he just came in in a bad mood,” she said. Barrymore commended Liu for “standing up” for herself at the time, and years later: “She literally said, ‘I do not accept that kind of behavior from you.’ And we all supported her and backed her up.”

“Some of the language was inexcusable and unacceptable, and I was not going to just sit there and take it,” Liu detailed in her LA Times interview. “So, yes, I stood up for myself, and I don’t regret it. Because no matter how low on the totem pole you may be or wherever you came from, there’s no need to condescend or to put other people down. And I would not stand down, and nor should I have.”

Deadline previously reported that Murray’s new film Being Mortal (initially set for a 2023 release) had suspended production  amid an ongoing investigation, as a complaint alleged that the Groundhog Day actor had also been “inappropriate” on the set of his most recent project as well. During his latest interview, the comedian said he hoped that he and the co-worker who spoke out against his behavior would “make peace” and that he hoped production could restart.

While Murray did not directly respond to neither Liu nor Barrymore, he did speak about what he’s learned about himself and his actions after being able to sit and reflect. “I think it’s a sad dog that can’t learn anymore,” Murray said of himself. “That’s a really sad puppy that can’t learn anymore. I don’t want to be that sad dog and I have no intention of it. What would make me the happiest would be to put my boots on and for both of us to go back into work and be able to trust each other and work at the work that we’ve both spent a lot of time developing the skill of [filmmaking].”

The French Dispatch star continued, “The world is different than it was when I was a little kid. You know, what I always thought was funny as a little kid isn’t necessarily the same as what’s funny now. Things change and the times change, so it’s important for me to figure it out and I think the most important thing is that it’s best for the other person.”