In mid-April, Searchlight Pictures halted production on comedian Aziz Ansari’s directorial debut, Being Mortal, due to complaints of Bill Murray’s behavior on set. This weekend, Murray addressed the incident in an interview, reflecting on how the experience was “quite an education†for him. During CNBC’s coverage of the Berkshire Hathaway annual meeting, Murray described the incident as a “difference of opinion†with a woman on set and that he “did something [he] thought was funny.†Murray then says that the woman did not think his action was “funny,†and his behavior was “not taken†in a comedic way. Due to the complaint, the studio “wanted to do the right thing†and investigate the incident, resulting in a production halt. He also reveals that he is speaking with the woman, and they are “trying to make peace†with each other about what happened. “We’re both professionals. We like each other’s work. We like each other, I think,†explained Murray. “If we can’t get along and trust each other, there’s no point in going further working together or making a movie. It’s been quite an education for me.†Murray did not clarify if the production is scheduled to begin again soon.
Alongside Murray, the film stars Keke Palmer, Seth Rogen, and Ansari. Based on Atul Gawande’s nonfiction book Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End, the film is scheduled to be released sometime in 2023.