Why did Richard Dreyfuss call Bill Murray a “drunken bully”?
With an illustrious career spanning over four decades, Bill Murray is an unquestionable household name known for his dynamic on-screen presence and impeccable comic timing. From his turns in Ghostbusters to the critically acclaimed Lost in Translation, Murray has repeatedly proven his acting prowess and demonstrated an ability beyond just comedy.
However, exceeding his impressive filmography and seemingly eccentric persona, the actor has often been at the centre of controversy concerning his on-set, off-screen behaviour. Increasingly frequent accounts hint at Murray’s unpredictable nature, revealing a picture of an unpredictable man – or worse, an allegedly abusive one.
Despite this, the American actor’s talent and unique charm have often overshadowed these more controversial aspects of his character. His notorious antics, such as crashing parties uninvited or randomly joining strangers’ football games, have contributed to his legendary status. Like Keanu Reeves, the actor is considered by many to be a straight-up cool dude. And yet, there are still some uncomfortable questions about the nature of his relationships with his fellow actors – especially when the cameras stop rolling.
Enter Richard Dreyfuss, another Hollywood titan renowned for his roles in Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and Mr. Holland’s Opus. During a 2019 interview with Role Recall, Dreyfuss unexpectedly brought the case of Murray’s rumoured behaviour to the forefront. Reflecting on his experience with Murray while filming the 1991 comedy What About Bob?, Dreyfuss shed a new and sadly unflattering light on the enigmatic personality of Bill Murray.
Referring to Murray, the Jaws actor certainly didn’t hold back. “He was an Irish drunken bully,” Dreyfuss shared. “I didn’t talk about it for years.” He elaborated on an alleged encounter: “Bill just got drunk at dinner… He came back from dinner one night, and I said, ‘Read this script tweak, I think it’s really funny.'”
In an unequivocally inappropriate response, Murray responded with verbal and physical abuse. “He put his face next to me,” Dreyfuss explained, “Nose-to-nose. And he screamed at the top of his lungs, ‘Everyone hates you! You are tolerated!'”
Dreyfuss recalled that the confrontation didn’t end there: “There was no time to react because he leaned back and took a modern glass-blown ashtray. He threw it at my face from only a couple of feet away. And it weighed about three-quarters of a pound.”
Luckily for Dreyfuss, and even for Murray as well, considering the potentially lethal outcome, the ashtray didn’t lant. “And he missed me,” the actor confirmed. “He tried to hit me. I got up and left.”
Drefuss’ experience, unfortunately, adds to the growing mountain of accusations and complaints against Murray, ranging from odd and eccentric behaviour to allegations of sexual, verbal and physical abuse. For such a beloved figure as the Ghostbusters actor, it’s particularly disheartening to hear that there’s a potential history of nastiness. With his latest film, Aziz Ansari’s directorial debut Being Mortal, having production indefinitely postponed due to further grievances, it’s only a matter of time before Murray may face a reckoning.
