Bill Murray has spoken out following a report of his inappropriate conduct on the production of Being Mortal, causing the movie to be shut down temporarily. During an interview (below) on CNBC Television at the Berkshire Hathaway annual meeting in Omaha on April 30, the actor opened up about the incident, calling it a “difference of opinion” between two parties, according to Variety.
“I had a difference of opinion with a woman I’m working with. I did something I thought was funny and it wasn’t taken that way,” Murray told CNBC. “The movie studio wanted to do the right thing, so they wanted to check it all out and investigate it and so they stopped the production.”
“As of now we’re talking and we’re trying to make peace with each other,” he continued. “We’re both professionals. We like each other’s work, we like each other, I think. If we can’t get along and trust each other, there’s no point in going further working together or making a movie. It’s been quite an education for me. I’ve been doing not much else but thinking about her for the last week or two.”
It is still unclear if the actor will continue with the project. HollywoodLife has reached out to Murray and Fox Searchlight representatives for comment.
The complaint, which was filed the week of April 11, caused production to initially be halted that Monday, per Deadline. The producers decided to suspend production as the investigation continued and they decided on what next steps needed to be taken. The cast and crew of the project were informed about it being halted by the studio shortly thereafter.
The film, written, directed, and starring comedian and writer Aziz Ansari, is based on Atul Gawande‘s best-selling nonfiction book Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End. The project began shooting on March 28 and sources told Deadline it was halted when production was about halfway through filming. The insiders also added that Aziz nor his partner on the film, Youree Henley, nor co-star, Seth Rogen, were a part of the complaint.
The movie was initially planned for a 2023 release, however it’s currently unclear how this incident with Murray will affect when it will ultimately premiere.