Bill Murray Had A Hilarious Moment Behind The Camera On The Asteroid City Set
As well known as Bill Murray is for his on-screen performances, he's also developed a reputation for his off-screen antics. Countless anecdotes have surfaced of the actor crashing kickball games, giving away free World Series tickets, and hanging out with strangers at airport bars.
As it turns out, Murray brings that sort of mystique to set as well. During an "Asteroid City" press conference attended by Looper, Rupert Friend recalled one particular Murray story while filming Wes Anderson's latest film. During a dance sequence performed by Friend's character Montana, a cowboy troubadour, and Maya Hawke's June Douglas, a schoolteacher, Murray made an unlikely appearance.
"I remember it was actually an amazing moment," Friend said. "When we did that thing, I threw my hat in the air, and behind the camera that day, Bill Murray had come to visit [the] set, and he just caught it at that exact moment. It was just perfect."
Murray caused hijinks despite not being an Asteroid City cast member
Aside from Rupert Friend and Maya Hawke, the 1950s-set "Asteroid City" boasts a huge ensemble cast featuring Jason Schwartzman, Scarlett Johansson, Tom Hanks, Bryan Cranston, and Tilda Swinton, to name a few. For Johansson, the on-set environment — tucked away in rural Spain — was a real actor's paradise.
"[The set] is so vivacious and feels so exciting," she said during the "Asteroid City" press conference. "Even just actors coming on the set to watch other actors performing, it's a very unique experience for a film, I think."
The invitation extended beyond just the cast members, as evidenced by Bill Murray's milling around set one day. It's in typical Murray fashion that he found a way to insert some unplanned silliness into an otherwise typical day of shooting. Initially, Murray was supposed to be part of the "Asteroid City" cast, but an ill-timed COVID infection got in the way.
"He was supposed to play the motel manager who Steve Carell plays, and Bill got COVID four days before he was supposed to start shooting," Wes Anderson told Indiewire. Despite his absence from "Asteroid City," Murray remained a champion of the film — as well as a willing travel companion upon its completion.
"When Bill got better, he came to Spain," Anderson continued. "[When] we finished the movie ... Bill and I got in a car and drove to France. It was a great way to finish, but it was the first time I hadn't had him in a movie in a long time."