Bill Murray names the one role he wants to be remembered for: “Sort of what life can be about”
As someone who’s acquired a reputation for being as enigmatic, elusive, and mysterious as they come, Bill Murray has been surprisingly open in picking out his career’s definitive roles and movies.
After all, a person who doesn’t have an agent, a manager, or a personal phone and insists that anyone who wants to work with him jumps through a series of ludicrous hopes in the hopes of contacting him before he even agrees to anything doesn’t jump out as the type to make too many blanket statements.
And yet, he has, but this being Murray, it’s not quite straightforward. For example, he went out on a limb and named the five favourite films from his back catalogue, which is fine. However, the quintet didn’t feature What About Bob?, which he called the best role he ever played.
Murray’s favourite role not factoring into his five favourite movies comes across as somewhat oxymoronic, even if it’s on-brand for an inscrutable actor and comedian who holds the unusual distinction of being held in the highest esteem as a Hollywood legend and beloved veteran while also being incredibly unpopular in certain circles for his extensive list of altercations, feuds, and mud-slinging.
The Academy Award nominee is almost the textbook definition of a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma, so it would be understandable if he got cold feet when quizzed on which character he wants to be remembered for. It’s a lofty question to ask any actor, especially one who’s been a key factor in so many classics, cult favourites, and unsung gems, but he didn’t even hesitate.
“In terms of what jobs we’ve ever done, I think I would say, like, Groundhog Day is a movie that I believe is sort of what life can be about,” he told Mashable. “That you have to fail every single day and start again, and just have the guts to do it again.”
Harold Ramis’ beloved comedy, which will be a staple of the annual rewatch calendar until the end of time, has always been close to Murray’s heart, and he explained why he’d want Phil Connors to be the first person who comes to mind whenever anyone thinks about his contributions to cinema.
“Because the day’s there, it’s just a matter of what you’re gonna do with it,” he continued. “It’s that opportunity that keeps coming. Not just every day, but every moment.” It’s a poignant perspective, with Groundhog Day tied to Murray’s belief that life isn’t some kind of grand tapestry with pre-ordained concepts of fate and destiny, but an ever-evolving series of moments that need to be seized and made the most of.
It’s a little ironic that the leading man spent most of the shoot causing havoc by disagreeing with Ramis to the point their two-decade friendship was irrevocably shattered, and called co-star Andie McDowell somebody who drove him nuts every minute of every day, only for Groundhog Day to become the subject of such a lofty and spiritual analysis from an actor who created such a maelstrom of chaos from beginning to end that he was nicknamed ‘The Murricane’. Still, it’s definitely a part worth being remembered for.
