Veteran actor Bill Murray is finally opening up about the controversial incident that led to the indefinite suspension of Being Mortal, the directorial debut of Aziz Ansari. The 2022 production shutdown came after a complaint was filed alleging Murray had behaved inappropriately on set. Now, in a new interview while promoting his latest film The Friend, Murray shared his side of the story.
Reflecting on the incident, Murray admitted he still thinks about it often. “I don’t go too many days or weeks without thinking of what happened in Being Mortal,” he said. According to Murray, the event took place during the COVID-19 pandemic when everyone on set was masked. He claims he jokingly kissed a colleague through a mask—someone he had lunch with regularly—and believed the act was harmless and humorous.
“I was wearing a mask, and I gave her a kiss, and she was wearing a mask,” Murray explained. “It wasn’t like I touched her. I thought it was funny.” However, the recipient of the gesture felt otherwise, and the issue escalated quickly.
The actor expressed frustration over the lack of dialogue or mediation, stating that there was “no conversation, no peacemaking.” He described the ensuing arbitration process as a “lunatic” experience and warned others against viewing arbitration as a fair route to justice.
Murray went on to say he felt blindsided by the incident and the fallout. “I was trying to make peace, but instead, I ended up being barbecued,” he shared. The veteran actor suggested the production was halted by Disney’s human resources policies, which he believes were overly rigid.
Despite feeling misunderstood, Murray said he has learned from the experience. “It was a great disappointment because I thought I knew someone, and I did not,” he admitted. “To me, it’s still funny—the idea that you could give someone a kiss with a mask on. It’s still stupid. That’s all it was.”
The canceled film, Being Mortal, was adapted from Atul Gawande’s book of the same name and was set to explore themes of mortality and caregiving. With production indefinitely halted, it’s unclear whether the project will be revived.
Murray is back on screens in The Friend, where he plays Walter, a deceased man whose dog is left in the care of a friend. The film, co-starring Naomi Watts, opened in theaters recently and has drawn comparisons between Murray’s real-life controversy and the film’s exploration of complicated human relationships.
