There are many celebrities out there that are known just as much for their interesting personalities as they are for the transformative performances that they give. It’s one thing to be a talented actor, but that’s only one dimension of these people and often a deeper appreciation for certain individuals’ craft can form through seeing more of their real selves. Bill Murray has always been a very entertaining presence in the world of comedy and he’s helped create some of the more memorable characters from the genre.
Bill Murray’s movies weren’t just popular for their time, but they’re still regarded as classics. However, as talented as Murray is, he’s also someone that’s well known for being a wild card, whether on film sets or in real life. Murray is someone that’s truly difficult to predict and it’s led to some pretty incredible stories along the way.
15 He Almost Drowned During Filming Of Where The Buffalo Roam
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is the one Hunter S. Thompson adaptation that gets most of the credit, but Murray did a great job portraying the journalist in Where the Buffalo Roam. Murray and Thompson spent a lot of time together during the filming of the movie, much of which entailed destructive stunts. One incident involved Thompson tying Murray to a chair and pushing him into a pool to see if he could escape, like Houdini. Murray couldn't and Thompson had to go in to rescue him.
14 All Of His Lines In Caddyshack Were Improvised
Caddyshack is a very funny film and it's from a pivotal time in Murray's career. The film features an exceptionally funny script, but in the case of Murray's character, he went off book and apparently ad-libbed and improvised all of his dialogue in the moment. It’s not as if he doesn’t have the improv background to pull off such a feat.
13 He Threw One Of What About Bob?'s Producers Into A Lake
Bill Murray has earned a lot of good will with his entertaining roles and interesting personality, but he's someone who has a history for blowing up on film sets in big ways. Murray had a lot of tiffs during the filming of What About Bob?, but he had such a disagreement with producer Laura Ziskin that he actually threw her into a lake during their apex of their fight. It wasn't their only dispute during the movie's production.
12 Building Chemistry With Scarlett Johansson In Lost In Translation Took Time
Lost in Translation is a formative film for everyone that's involved with it and for a while Murray went on record as it being his favorite of his many films. Murray and Scarlett Johansson's characters find an unlikely, unusual bond through the film, but in reality Murray wasn't feeling it. Director Sofia Coppola actually had to give up during the filming of their pivotal scene in bed together and pick up again the next day because it was lacking such passion.
11 He Tried To Get Lucy Liu To Punch Him
The Charlie's Angels franchise is hot on the heels of a fresh reboot, but the older films were popular during their time, with Murray being an unusual inclusion in the first picture. Murray apparently had such a contentious relationship with Lucy Liu that he insulted her acting ability and goaded her, trying to get her to punch him and draw out a reaction.
10 Groundhog Day Broke His Friendship With Harold Ramis
Groundhog Day is one of the most celebrated collaborations between Murray and Ramis, but the two constantly feuded over the proper tone of the film. The film may still heralded as a success, but this riff ended Murray and Ramis’ longtime friendship and they were at odds for nearly 20 years before they could finally bury the hatchet before Ramis' death.
9 He Only Did Ghostbusters So He Could Fund His Own Movie
Murray's role in Ghostbusters is still seen as one of his iconic performances, but it's caused a lot of ire for the actor over the constant attempts at a Ghostbusters 3, & Murray was always somewhat removed from the project. The only reason Murray signed on to Ghostbusters in the first place is so Columbia Pictures would give him funding for his passion project, The Razor's Edge.
8 He Became The Voice Of Garfield By Accident
Quite notoriously, the story behind Bill Murray's involvement in the questionable Garfield movies is that when he received the script, he casually read the cover, saw "Joel Cohen" and thought "Joel Coen" of the Coen Brothers fame. Despite his error, Murray was locked in for several films.
7 His Time On Stripes Made Him Vow To Never Work With Sean Young Again
Stripes is a very fun film for Murray's filmography and it marks another important pairing between the actor and Ivan Reitman. Murray's costar in the film is Sean Young and even though there's chemistry in the picture, Murray had such a miserable time alongside her that he pledged to never work with her again.
6 He Fed A Group Of Hungry Onlookers During Groundhog Day
During the filming of one of the scenes between Murray and Stephen Tobolowsky that was outside on the streets, Tobolowsky remarked to Murray that many of the local residents who were watching the filming of the scene appeared to be hungry. To remedy the situation, Murray ran into a local bakery, purchased all of the danishes that they had in stock, and gave them out to the people on the street.
