A new report sheds more light on how Bill Murray allegedly treated a female crew member on the set of the movie Being Mortal.
Multiple sources told Puck, which published the story Monday, that Murray settled with the unnamed employee for just over $100,000 after she accused him of a sex crime in April on the set of Aziz Ansari’s upcoming film.
The report said the accuser was a “much younger woman,” but did not say it was Murray’s colleague Keke Palmer. Murray is also said to think she “was flirting with him”.
“So at one point, when the two were in close proximity to a bed that was part of the production, Murray began kissing her body and pacing her,” the report said. “It was perhaps an obscure piece of physical comedy, but one that was not announced.”
The woman complained that she “can’t move because [Murray] was superior to her,” as Puck’s report states.
“He then kissed her on the mouth, even though both Murray and the woman were wearing masks when he did so, due to COVID protocols,” the report alleges. “Murray later said he was just joking, but the woman interpreted his actions as purely sexual. She was horrified.
Puck says a second employee who saw what happened also reported it. The cast and crew were told that production would be halted, but they were not told why.
A source quoted in the report said Murray “felt miserable” not only because of what he believed to be a misunderstanding, but also because of how at one point he caused his colleagues to lose their jobs. According to the report, as part of the deal, the two sides “agreed to maintain confidentiality.”
In late April, Murray went on CNBC from Berkshire Hathaway’s annual shareholder meeting and said he “had a difference of opinion” with a woman who worked at Being Mortal. “I did something I thought was funny and it wasn’t received that way,” he said of his behavior on the set of the film, which stars Ansari, 39, Palmer, 29, and Seth Rogen.
His comments came a week after Searchlight stopped making the film while they looked into what happened and decided whether Murray should return to the project.
“Right now we are talking and trying to make peace with each other. I think that’s where the real problem is, between our peace,” Murray said at the time. “We are both professionals, we like each other’s work. … I think we like each other, and if we can’t really get along and trust each other, there’s no point in continuing to work together or make the film. It was a real education for me.”
The Ghostbusters actor said he’s been doing nothing but thinking about it for the past few weeks. “We talk about it. I think we’ll come to terms with that, I’m very optimistic about that,” he added. “I think it’s a sad dog that can’t learn anymore. I think this is a really sad puppy who can’t learn anymore. I don’t want to be that sad dog and I don’t intend to.”
“What would make me the happiest is to get my boots on and both of us get back to work, be able to trust each other and work on the work we’ve both spent a lot of time developing our skills for,” Murray added. “And hopefully do something that’s good not just for the two of us, but for a whole team of people, the filmmakers and the movie studio as well.”
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