Scarlett Johansson’s favourite Bill Murray movie
Scarlett Johansson and Bill Murray produced one of the all-time great duo performances. Their on-screen chemistry in Lost In Translation helped Johansson transition from a teen movie actor to a global superstar, and as a result, she held Murray close as a vital influence. That said, their collaboration isn’t Johansson’s favourite film by the man himself.
Both Johansson and Murray have enjoyed eclectic careers. Murray began as the favourite face of comedy, playing roles in classic laugh-a-minute movies like Scrooged and Ghostbusters after being a big success on Saturday Night Live. Johannson, meanwhile, started out in typical fashion as a romantic lead in various action and drama movies. As they matured and developed, however, their roles became more daring, complex and artistic.
Despite being huge Hollywood stars, they’re both indie darlings, working with names like the Coen brothers and Taika Waititi. They’re also favoured actors of Wes Anderson, coming to work together again in Asteroid City and as voice actors for Isle Of The Dogs.
But Johannson’s favourite Bill Murray film is a classic selection. Even though they worked together on one of his most dramatic and emotional performances, her choice is pure comedy. As one of her favourite movies of all time, she selected the 1993 classic Groundhog Day, one of Murray’s biggest breakout roles that utterly cemented his position as a comedy star.
Merging a typical romantic comedy with a fantasy, the story follows Phil Connors as he lives the same day over and over again. Starring as the lead, alongside Andie MacDowell, it remains one of the roles he’s best known and most beloved for. It was one of the year’s highest-grossing movies, becoming an enduring favourite film thanks to its earnest humour and frivolity, all acting with Murray’s signature grumpy demeanour.
It’s nice to know that Johansson has good thoughts and feelings towards Murray’s work when their own professional relationship wasn’t always plain sailing. She described working on Lost In Translation as “hard” as she starred opposite a seasoned and respected name as a young up-starter.
She said, “It was a hard shoot for me. I felt sort of out of the loop. I was 17 years old when I made that movie”. At the time, her energy felt at odds with Murray as she added, “He’s a comedian. He’s quirky. He had a lot of ups and downs. He had a lot of energy. He was really always on. And I was a 17-year-old, and I was more introspective.”
But as time went on since the 2003 movie, old tensions or awkwardness have been put to bed. Holding one of Murray’s earliest movies close as an all-time favourite and reuniting for later projects, the pair seem to have patched it all up.
