No one comedian has had more influence on my life than Bill Murray, both personally and professionally. I have seen many of the movies that Bill Murray starred in the 1980s, such as Caddyshack, Stripes and Ghostbusters, a minimum of 50 times apiece, probably a lot more. Much of the way I crack jokes, the way I move my face to emphasize something and even the way I walk can be traced back to the genius that is he, the fifth of the Murray children.
The films I mentioned above are known to Murrayphiles as the first wave of his film career. The second wave includes Ed Wood, Quick Change, Breckinridge, Groundhog Day and What About Bob? In fact Bill Murrays dramatic skills in those films impressed me so much that in 1994 I said to any who would listen, In five years Bill Murray will be nominated for an Oscar. When Wes Anderson discovered new facets of Murray for Rushmore I thought my prediction was coming true. But the third wave, Rushmore, Cradle Will Rock and The Royal Tenenbaums bore no fruit until Murray was in Sofia Coppolas Lost in Translation as Bob Harris, a far past his prime American film actor. Though he lost the award to Sean Penn things may change this Oscar season when Wes Andersons The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou is released on December 25th.
Check out the website for The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou
Daniel Robert Epstein: I like your Blues Brothers t-shirt.
Bill Murray: I like yours too, Sean John.
DRE: I dont think weve seen you smoke pot onscreen since Caddyshack.
BM: I havent been keeping track of it but yeah.
DRE: Is that sense memory?
BM: Well actually they usually give this herbal dust stuff which makes you cough. Its not really pleasant so you want to make sure you nail it on the first take.
DRE: Is this the hardest movie shoot youve ever been on?
BM: Yes it was. This was by far the most physically demanding, the most emotionally demanding both personally and professionally. Also the most ambitious.
DRE: Would you have done a movie like this with anyone but Wes Anderson?
BM: I dont know. If you read the script and you didnt know who was in charge you would be much less confident. I sure as hell wouldnt leave the country and go over there for just anybody. You have to have faith in some people.
DRE: Wes has mentioned that it was harder to get you for this film because you no longer have an agent. How come you left CAA?
BM: It was a lot of things but it was a mutual separation. It was just time. Michael Ovitz was my guy and he became the pariah. The business also changed and I like to cut my own lawn now so I dont need a landscaper. I really dont get work from agents and I havent for a long time. People call me. I had a long run with CAA but it wasnt working for me.
DRE: People have called this the serious phase of your career.
BM: My blue period.
I think all phases of ones career are serious if you take it seriously no matter if you are doing high profile dramatic pieces or not. Thats just a perception. Ive taken all the work seriously but you cant take the response and reaction to it too seriously. But you cant get all bent out of shape if its not pleasant. I just love the shooting of the movies when the camera is rolling.
DRE: Did Wes have to hound you do this role?
BM: Wes told me about this thing years ago when we were making Rushmore but I didnt make anything of it. He didnt come after me much at all. I have a lot of faith in him so he doesnt have to explain much to me. If I feel I need something explained then I ask. When we were discussing this movie we were taking a boat trip. I told him I wanted to rehearse and he was like What? and I said Yeah I want you to tell me the story. So he had a script to him and he read it to me. I just laid back sunbathing while he read it to me. It was like a bedtime story. That was all he did. We didnt even finish, at one point I just said Ok thats enough.
DRE: As someone with improv background, is it difficult to follow a script to a T?
BM: I dont mind it. I still get to improvise when there is something there. He did make a script that was really hard to speak. I defy you do some of these tongue twisters with another actor two or three times in a row. But its nice to have a script where I dont have to improvise. I used to have to rewrite whole movies.
DRE: Angelica Huston has called you melancholic. But Steve Zissou is melancholy and lovable at the same time. Is that difficult to accomplish?
BM: To be melancholy and lovable is the trick. Youve got to be able to show that you have these feelings. In the game of life you get these feelings and its all about how you deal with those feelings. A melancholy can be sweet. Its not a mean thing but its something that happens in life like autumn.
DRE: Do you find that you still follow the teachings of Del Close when you improvise?
BM: Well its sort of in my blood and bones now. He was a genius that made improvisation a high art. He was one of the brightest men I ever met and a really deep soul. Hes gone now but a lot of people live on that know part of what he knew. I feel like I got some award because I worked with him and now were supposed to go on and tell people something he told us.
DRE: Do you ever get back to Chicago?
BM: Yeah I went to a four game series with the Marlins. I went to the new Frank Gehry bandshell and its just mind boggling. It has those towers.
DRE: What do you think of finally getting that Oscar nomination for Lost in Translation?
BM: I think its going to be a thing where once every 25 years I will get an Oscar nomination.
DRE: Have you kept in touch with Scarlett Johansson?
BM: Its funny because you just dont keep in touch with people that often. My wife would feel funny if I spent too much time with this 18 year old girl.
DRE: Did you keep any of the Speedos from Life Aquatic?
BM: I dont know where all that stuff went. Usually you steal your wardrobe but they held it in case of a reshoot but I havent seen any of it. I remember being freezing while wearing them though.
DRE: What do you think hurt Steve Zissou more, that [Cate Blanchetts character of] Jane Winslett-Richardson told him he was too old for her or that his son got together with her?
BM: I think they are both sides of the same coin. His son is the representation of his youth is the killer. A girl telling you that youre too old is a bull dyke, thats the game, but your son hitting on the girl you have a crush on is tough because you cant claw over him.
DRE: Youve spent a lot of time in France. Do they treat you differently over there?
BM: People in Europe only know me from the movies so they see me as a film character. People here have seen me on television playing wacky characters on sketch comedy. When you do David Letterman it shows people a different side. Im just a citizen here but in Europe they see me in a more artistic sense.
I like it over there. Their film culture permeates the culture a little more there than here. When I lived in France I went to the Cinematheque everyday. There is a paper telling you exactly what film is playing and every detail. They dont have that here.
DRE: Were you surprised when Lost in Translation became such a phenomenon?
BM: Thats a good question. Why did that film get so much attention? The film is so interesting because it shows a personal decision we all have to make sometime. Its when you bump into someone thats not your mate, husband or wife and something happens between you. How do you behave in that situation? I read a definition this year that a hero is someone that does something they dont want to do. The thing is that Bob Harris really wanted someone to make him feel. Nothing happened between him and that girl which made him a hero, a different kind of hero. Its the kind that everyone can be. Not everyone can be Indiana Jones or a Ghostbuster but everyone can make the decision to do that thing they want to do.
DRE: Both Steve Zissou and Bob Harris spend a lot of time looking back over their career. Do you do much of that?
BM: Its not that they are looking back so much but that they had success and now they are concerned about having success in the future. Where their next meal ticket and the thing that makes them feel good will come from. Zissou goes back to the ocean because he loves the ocean and how to make a life out of it. But to be able to keep going back to the ocean hes got to make a documentary. For Bob Harris, he likes being an actor but to stay known hes got to make a commercial so that he makes some money to live his lifestyle.
For me Ive had lots of things to do and a few years I thought about whether I should be a big movie star. But I didnt want to be a big movie star so I decided I want to live my life and see what happens. At the same time I took these jobs where I dont make a lot of money but I work with good people and I do what I want to do. I thought that maybe one of them will be a hit one day and I will get what I need in terms of being noticed and damn, Lost in Translation did that. But between that I made seven movies that were good but didnt have it all work at once like that. I like working to not be the biggest star in the world. Im trying to help Life Aquatic but I dont want to feel desperate. I dont want to be that guy mumbling into his drink at a bar. Ive had a great run and if I change careers that would be an adventure too.
DRE: What would you do if you changed careers?
BM: Im not sure but Ive been thinking about it. It would be bold to say that I did that and had some success. I would like to write a play. I always felt thats what I should do.
by Daniel Robert Epstein
SG Username: AndersWolleck
The films I mentioned above are known to Murrayphiles as the first wave of his film career. The second wave includes Ed Wood, Quick Change, Breckinridge, Groundhog Day and What About Bob? In fact Bill Murrays dramatic skills in those films impressed me so much that in 1994 I said to any who would listen, In five years Bill Murray will be nominated for an Oscar. When Wes Anderson discovered new facets of Murray for Rushmore I thought my prediction was coming true. But the third wave, Rushmore, Cradle Will Rock and The Royal Tenenbaums bore no fruit until Murray was in Sofia Coppolas Lost in Translation as Bob Harris, a far past his prime American film actor. Though he lost the award to Sean Penn things may change this Oscar season when Wes Andersons The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou is released on December 25th.
Check out the website for The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou
Daniel Robert Epstein: I like your Blues Brothers t-shirt.
Bill Murray: I like yours too, Sean John.
DRE: I dont think weve seen you smoke pot onscreen since Caddyshack.
BM: I havent been keeping track of it but yeah.
DRE: Is that sense memory?
BM: Well actually they usually give this herbal dust stuff which makes you cough. Its not really pleasant so you want to make sure you nail it on the first take.
DRE: Is this the hardest movie shoot youve ever been on?
BM: Yes it was. This was by far the most physically demanding, the most emotionally demanding both personally and professionally. Also the most ambitious.
DRE: Would you have done a movie like this with anyone but Wes Anderson?
BM: I dont know. If you read the script and you didnt know who was in charge you would be much less confident. I sure as hell wouldnt leave the country and go over there for just anybody. You have to have faith in some people.
DRE: Wes has mentioned that it was harder to get you for this film because you no longer have an agent. How come you left CAA?
BM: It was a lot of things but it was a mutual separation. It was just time. Michael Ovitz was my guy and he became the pariah. The business also changed and I like to cut my own lawn now so I dont need a landscaper. I really dont get work from agents and I havent for a long time. People call me. I had a long run with CAA but it wasnt working for me.
DRE: People have called this the serious phase of your career.
BM: My blue period.
I think all phases of ones career are serious if you take it seriously no matter if you are doing high profile dramatic pieces or not. Thats just a perception. Ive taken all the work seriously but you cant take the response and reaction to it too seriously. But you cant get all bent out of shape if its not pleasant. I just love the shooting of the movies when the camera is rolling.
DRE: Did Wes have to hound you do this role?
BM: Wes told me about this thing years ago when we were making Rushmore but I didnt make anything of it. He didnt come after me much at all. I have a lot of faith in him so he doesnt have to explain much to me. If I feel I need something explained then I ask. When we were discussing this movie we were taking a boat trip. I told him I wanted to rehearse and he was like What? and I said Yeah I want you to tell me the story. So he had a script to him and he read it to me. I just laid back sunbathing while he read it to me. It was like a bedtime story. That was all he did. We didnt even finish, at one point I just said Ok thats enough.
DRE: As someone with improv background, is it difficult to follow a script to a T?
BM: I dont mind it. I still get to improvise when there is something there. He did make a script that was really hard to speak. I defy you do some of these tongue twisters with another actor two or three times in a row. But its nice to have a script where I dont have to improvise. I used to have to rewrite whole movies.
DRE: Angelica Huston has called you melancholic. But Steve Zissou is melancholy and lovable at the same time. Is that difficult to accomplish?
BM: To be melancholy and lovable is the trick. Youve got to be able to show that you have these feelings. In the game of life you get these feelings and its all about how you deal with those feelings. A melancholy can be sweet. Its not a mean thing but its something that happens in life like autumn.
DRE: Do you find that you still follow the teachings of Del Close when you improvise?
BM: Well its sort of in my blood and bones now. He was a genius that made improvisation a high art. He was one of the brightest men I ever met and a really deep soul. Hes gone now but a lot of people live on that know part of what he knew. I feel like I got some award because I worked with him and now were supposed to go on and tell people something he told us.
DRE: Do you ever get back to Chicago?
BM: Yeah I went to a four game series with the Marlins. I went to the new Frank Gehry bandshell and its just mind boggling. It has those towers.
DRE: What do you think of finally getting that Oscar nomination for Lost in Translation?
BM: I think its going to be a thing where once every 25 years I will get an Oscar nomination.
DRE: Have you kept in touch with Scarlett Johansson?
BM: Its funny because you just dont keep in touch with people that often. My wife would feel funny if I spent too much time with this 18 year old girl.
DRE: Did you keep any of the Speedos from Life Aquatic?
BM: I dont know where all that stuff went. Usually you steal your wardrobe but they held it in case of a reshoot but I havent seen any of it. I remember being freezing while wearing them though.
DRE: What do you think hurt Steve Zissou more, that [Cate Blanchetts character of] Jane Winslett-Richardson told him he was too old for her or that his son got together with her?
BM: I think they are both sides of the same coin. His son is the representation of his youth is the killer. A girl telling you that youre too old is a bull dyke, thats the game, but your son hitting on the girl you have a crush on is tough because you cant claw over him.
DRE: Youve spent a lot of time in France. Do they treat you differently over there?
BM: People in Europe only know me from the movies so they see me as a film character. People here have seen me on television playing wacky characters on sketch comedy. When you do David Letterman it shows people a different side. Im just a citizen here but in Europe they see me in a more artistic sense.
I like it over there. Their film culture permeates the culture a little more there than here. When I lived in France I went to the Cinematheque everyday. There is a paper telling you exactly what film is playing and every detail. They dont have that here.
DRE: Were you surprised when Lost in Translation became such a phenomenon?
BM: Thats a good question. Why did that film get so much attention? The film is so interesting because it shows a personal decision we all have to make sometime. Its when you bump into someone thats not your mate, husband or wife and something happens between you. How do you behave in that situation? I read a definition this year that a hero is someone that does something they dont want to do. The thing is that Bob Harris really wanted someone to make him feel. Nothing happened between him and that girl which made him a hero, a different kind of hero. Its the kind that everyone can be. Not everyone can be Indiana Jones or a Ghostbuster but everyone can make the decision to do that thing they want to do.
DRE: Both Steve Zissou and Bob Harris spend a lot of time looking back over their career. Do you do much of that?
BM: Its not that they are looking back so much but that they had success and now they are concerned about having success in the future. Where their next meal ticket and the thing that makes them feel good will come from. Zissou goes back to the ocean because he loves the ocean and how to make a life out of it. But to be able to keep going back to the ocean hes got to make a documentary. For Bob Harris, he likes being an actor but to stay known hes got to make a commercial so that he makes some money to live his lifestyle.
For me Ive had lots of things to do and a few years I thought about whether I should be a big movie star. But I didnt want to be a big movie star so I decided I want to live my life and see what happens. At the same time I took these jobs where I dont make a lot of money but I work with good people and I do what I want to do. I thought that maybe one of them will be a hit one day and I will get what I need in terms of being noticed and damn, Lost in Translation did that. But between that I made seven movies that were good but didnt have it all work at once like that. I like working to not be the biggest star in the world. Im trying to help Life Aquatic but I dont want to feel desperate. I dont want to be that guy mumbling into his drink at a bar. Ive had a great run and if I change careers that would be an adventure too.
DRE: What would you do if you changed careers?
BM: Im not sure but Ive been thinking about it. It would be bold to say that I did that and had some success. I would like to write a play. I always felt thats what I should do.
by Daniel Robert Epstein
SG Username: AndersWolleck
VIEW 25 of 56 COMMENTS
levi69:
Hey I used to watch his movies and laugh all through 'em.
rosie:
I absolutely love Bill Murray! Great interview.