Bill Murray had a fiery response to allegations of past inappropriate behavior, including the time actress Geena Davis claimed in a memoir he pulled down her dress strap 35 years ago.
When Murray, 74, was asked about Davis’ claims that he « dressed her down » by The New York Times, he called the allegations « outrageous. »
« When someone has an episode like mine on ‘Being Mortal,’ the world goes searching for more proof that this person is a monster — an absolute monster, » Murray remarked.
BILL MURRAY SNAPS AT MAN IN NEW YORK MOVIE THEATER, ACCUSES HIM OF ASSAULT
Bill Murray opened up during an interview about previous allegations of inappropriate behavior against him. (Kevin Winter/Getty Images for Turner)
« Well, I’ve had interactions with hundreds of thousands of people over 40, 50 years. Now, you can come up with half a dozen. If you really worked, you’d probably come up with a couple dozen. »
In Davis’ 2022 memoir, « Dying of Politeness, » she alleged Murray had behaved inappropriately with her when the two co-starred in the 1990 crime comedy « Quick Change. »
She wrote that Murray made her uncomfortable during a joint appearance on « The Arsenio Hall Show, » when he tried to pull down the strap of her dress multiple times.
Geena Davis revealed her first interaction with co-star Bill Murray was not pleasant. She alleged he greeted her in a hotel room with a massage device. (Frazer Harrison/Scott Olson)
The actress also recalled her first meeting with Murray and described how he allegedly « insisted » on using a massage device he called « The Thumper » on her despite her repeated refusals.
Davis additionally recounted an instance in which she claims the « Groundhog Day » star screamed at her on the film’s set in front of « more than 300 people. »
BILL MURRAY’S ON-SET ALLEGATIONS CONTINUE TO ROCK HOLLYWOOD: A LOOK AT HIS LONG HISTORY OF CELEBRITY FEUDS
Earlier that year, production was paused on « Being Mortal » after a complaint of « inappropriate behavior » was made against Murray.
Murray admits he had regrets about the situation and thinks about the on-set interactions frequently.
Bill Murray reportedly had issues with multiple co-stars over the years. (Giuseppe Maffia/NurPhoto)
« I don’t go too many days or weeks without thinking of what happened in ‘Being Mortal,’ » he told The New York Times.
« I tried to make peace. I thought I was trying to make peace. I ended up being, to my mind, barbecued. … It still bothers me because that movie was stopped. … There was no peacemaking, nothing. It went to this lunatic arbitration. »
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Murray detailed the awkward moment and added it wasn’t meant to be inappropriate. He explained the encounter happened during the trying times of the pandemic, and he wasn’t sure what « prompted » him to do it.
« It’s something that I had done to someone else before, and I thought it was funny, and every time it happened, it was funny, » Murray said.
« I was wearing a mask, and I gave her a kiss, and she was wearing a mask. It wasn’t like I touched her, but it was just, I gave her a kiss through a mask. And she wasn’t a stranger. »
Murray said he has regrets about the situation and thinks about the on-set interactions frequently. (Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic)
Murray added that he and his colleague had lunch several times and thought the gesture was amusing at the time.
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The longtime actor’s admissions come after he recently snapped at a man in New York while he promoted his new film, « The Friend. »
In a viral video, Murray got into an altercation in the lobby of a theater with a man he believed was being aggressive toward him.
At the beginning of the video, Murray is walking with a security guard inside the theater. A man is walking close behind him, and Murray suddenly stops and stomps on the ground, seemingly at the man’s feet.
« Stop it, » he said, as he turned and pointed at the man, who immediately put his hands up. « If you attack me like that again, I’ll step on your foot. »
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« No, no, » the man responded, as he stepped back and kept his hands up. But Murray kept talking to him as security guards guided him away.
« Don’t do it, » he said. « That’s a physical assault you just made. Don’t do it again. Don’t do it again. You’re not big enough to do that. »
The man can be heard yelling « Sorry » as Murray is led off.
Fox News Digital’s Emily Trainham contributed to this report.
