Many may remember the groundbreaking work of Sofia Coppola lost in translation as being a somewhat dark glimpse into what loneliness in stardom can look like. Bill Murray’s depiction of a movie star having a midlife crisis in Japan’s capital was the perfect backdrop for a commentary on how celebrity and different cultures can be alienating, but he had a companion in Scarlett Johansson.
While the film’s ending surely brought tears to our eyes as just like honey per The Jesus and Mary Chain was playing in the background, Johansson had some off-screen issues with his co-star. A lot of people may see Bill Murray as a sweet old man who you would pity the situation, but he was quite the opposite on set.
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Scarlett Johansson on Bill Murray’s uncomfortable presence on set
lost in translation premiered 19 years ago, and Bill Murray’s performance as Bob Harris remains as fresh as ever in our minds. The comedy-drama film earned the 72-year-old actor a Golden Globe and a British Academy Film Award as well as an Oscar nomination.
But the performance he put on in the film, which almost made us empathize watching his character’s state, didn’t reflect Murray’s tendency to be… shall we say weird on a movie set.
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Murray’s co-star in Lost in translation, Scarlett Johansson, came to share her work experience with the ghost hunters star, and it made me regain all the sympathy I had for Bob Harris.
Speaking to Howard Stern in a 2017 interview, the 37-year-old actress said the film was “a difficult shoot for me”-
“It was tough, it was a tough shoot for me. I kind of felt out of the loop. I was 17 when I did that movie, you know.
She further explains-
“I think it was because, you know, he (Bill Murray) kind of has his own – he’s a comedian, he’s eccentric…and he’s had a lot of ups and downs, and he had a lot of energy, and he was really, like, always on.
“And I was, you know, 17, and I was kind of like – I was more introspective, I guess. … Yeah, that was tough for me. I think that’s what was a bit isolating about it – is that everyone was so deferential [to Murray].”
Regardless of his comments about the actor’s erratic behavior, it was quite surprising to see that a newcomer and 17-year-old Johansson was able to maintain such a high level of on-screen chemistry with Murray who had been already imposed as an A-listener during the production of the film.
On Bill Murray’s recent accusations…
This may seem like a startling revelation to many people, but it’s not – Murray has always been like that.
For those who don’t know, the ghost hunters star has a reputation for being hard to work with, and his mood swings don’t help. His on-set actions were problematic for nearly everyone involved, but his recent accusations tell us he’s taken it a step further by being a nuisance on set.
Bill Murray has been accused of sexually harassing a much younger production assistant on the set of to be mortal, whose production is now suspended.
Another accusation of his Quick change Co-star Geena Davis says Murray yelled at her for being late and insisted she use a “Thumper” that can be used as a messaging device, which Davis refused.
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There is also a more recent accusation described by the groundhog day co-starring actor Seth Green. Green accused Murray of abusing him when he was 9 and then throwing him in a trash can, all because Green refused to get up from the armrest of Murray’s seat during a Saturday Night Live Position.
These accusations have further tarnished Bill Murray’s image as an actor, and we don’t know how he will bounce back.
Source: Showbiz cheat sheet
