Hollywood star Bill Murray seemed to admit that he has “done some damage” during an appearance at the Sundance Film Festival on Sunday following allegations of a string of behavioral incidents on movie production sets.
While speaking with Elvis Mitchell, a film critic, in the “Elvis Suite,” the 74-year-old Hollywood actor was asked about the characters he portrayed in “Riff Raff” and “The Friend,” according to Variety. Asked about playing characters who “lead lives of enormous charm” while being “aware of how poisonous their charm can be,” Murray said, “It’s always interesting when you’re playing a guy who has done some damage.”
“I know I’ve done some damage,” Murray added. “It’s sort of a penance to play them; to show that you’re accepting responsibility for it. It’s certainly always unconscious damage you’re doing, but you are responsible for the damage you’re doing.”
Entertainment Weekly reported that Murray pointed to his role in the film “On the Rocks,” which features the relationship between a woman and her playboy father, as an example of his statement.
“I was answering for a lot of things through that role,” Murray said.
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Entertainment Weekly reported that Murray’s film career was temporarily paused after an incident occurred on the set of “Being Mortal” in 2022. The outlet noted that film production was stopped by Searchlight Pictures after the Hollywood star was accused of engaging in inappropriate behavior toward a young female assistant on the production set.
According to Entertainment Weekly, Murray previously addressed the incident, saying, “I did something I thought was funny, and it wasn’t taken that way. The company, the movie studio, wanted to do the right thing, so they wanted to check it all out, investigate it, and so they stopped the production. But as of now, we’re talking and we’re trying to make peace with each other.”
“The world is different than it was when I was a little kid,” Murray said at the time of the allegations. “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.”
Variety reported that Murray was also accused of “hurling insults” at a female star during the production of “Charlie’s Angels.” Additionally, Murray was also accused of harassment against another female star during the filming of “Quick Change.”