Details emerge about Bill Murray's alleged misconduct on Being Mortal set
New details have emerged about Bill Murray's alleged inappropriate behavior on the set of Being Mortal, comedian Aziz Ansari's adaptation of Atul Gawande's book of the same name.
A report published by Puck on Monday claims that Murray kissed and straddled a younger female production staffer on set. The woman's name was withheld, but the report noted that it was not Murray's fellow costar Keke Palmer, as has been speculated. Multiple sources alleged to Puck that it occurred near a bed that was part of production. Murray, who reportedly felt that the staffer had been flirting with him, also allegedly kissed her on her mouth, though the two were masked due to COVID-19 protocols.
The woman, who was "horrified" at the incident, reportedly filed a complaint. A second staffer who witnessed the incident filed a report too, according to Puck, which led the studio behind the film, Searchlight, to suspend production, though a reason why was never indicated to cast and crew.
Kate Green/Getty Images Bill Murray
The actor, who reportedly chalked up the incident to a miscommunication, allegedly resolved to remedy the situation. The two reportedly came to a settlement after some time, with Murray paying the staffer "just north of $100,000," per Puck. The woman also reportedly agreed to a non-disclosure agreement and to waive any legal claims made against the producers, Searchlight, and parent company Disney.
Representatives for Murray, Ansari, and Searchlight did not immediately respond to EW's request for comment.
Murray addressed the allegations for the first time back in April, but did not elaborate on any details of the complaint. "I did something I thought was funny, and it wasn't taken that way," Murray told CNBC. "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."
He continued, "But as of now, we're talking and we're trying to make peace with each other… We're both professionals. We like each other's work… and if you can't really get along and trust each other, there's no point in going further working together or making a movie as well."
Geena Davis recently shared her own negative experience with Murray, accusing the actor of harassment in her new memoir, Dying of Politeness. Davis claims that Murray screamed at her privately and in front of cast and crew on the 1990 film Quick Change, which Murray co-directed. She wrote that he also allegedly used a massage device on her without her permission during her audition for the film.
Lucy Liu has also accused Murray of hurling insults at her on set of their 2000 film Charlie's Angels.
Want more movie news? Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free newsletter to get the latest trailers, celebrity interviews, film reviews, and more.
Related content:
