“I did something I thought was funny, and it wasn’t taken that way,” the actor said of his behavior that caused Aziz Ansari's film to halt production.
Bill Murray shocked the film world last week when reports of his inappropriate behavior on set caused Aziz Ansari’s directorial debut “Being Mortal” to halt production. While details of Murray’s behavior were never made public, the allegation was serious enough for producers to pause the film in order to investigate.
Murray has been silent, but the actor made his first public appearance since the incident on Saturday at Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Annual Shareholders Meeting (via Deadline). Murray chalked his actions up to a misunderstanding, but expressed regret over his insensitivity and pledged to be better in the future.
“I did something I thought was funny, and it wasn’t taken that way,” Murray said. “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. But as of now, we’re talking and we’re trying to make peace with each other. I think that’s where the real issue is, between our peace. We’re both professionals. We like each other’s work. We like each other, I think, 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.”
Murray went on to say that the incident has been a learning experience for him, and that the suspension has given him an opportunity to reflect on how to adjust his behavior moving forward.
“How could I misperceive? How could I be so inaccurate and so insensitive when you think you’re being sensitive to some sensibility that you’ve had for a long time?” Murray said, before adding that conversations with other people on set have allowed him to see the situation from other perspectives. “So we’re talking about it. I think we’re gonna make peace with it. I’m very optimistic about that.”
“And I feel like if I don’t see that, you know, the world is different than it was when I was a little kid,” he continued. “You know, what I always thought was funny as a little kid isn’t necessarily the same as what’s funny now. Things change and the times change, so it’s important for me to figure it out. And I think the most important thing is that it’s best for the other person. I thought about it, and if it’s not best for the other person, doesn’t matter what happens for me.”
