The other week came the news that Searchlight Pictures had suspended production on Aziz Ansari’s feature directorial debut “Being Mortal” following a complaint of inappropriate behavior involving actor Bill Murray.
At the time Ansari and his producing partner Youree Henley were working with the studio to figure out the next steps while Searchlight was conducting an investigation.
Now Murray has publicly spoken about the complaint in an interview with CNBC, stating that he said there was a “difference of opinion” with a woman he was working with and “I did something I thought was funny, and it wasn’t taken that way”.
That led to the complaint and production pause. Murray says he’s been spending time since production was shut down thinking about what happened but “was optimistic” that production would restart and that the incident would be settled between the two of them:
“As of now we are talking, and we are trying to make peace with each other. We are both professionals. We like each others’ work. We like each other, I think, and if we can’t really get along and trust each other, there’s no point in going further working together or making the movie as well.
Its been quite an education for me. The world is different than it was when I was a little kid. You know, what I always thought was funny as a little kid isn’t necessarily the same as what’s funny now. Things change and the times change, so it’s important for me to figure it out.
And I think the most important thing is that it’s best for the other person. I thought about it, and if it’s not best for the other person, doesn’t matter what happens for me.”
He goes on to say what would make him the happiest is if the pair could “go back into work and…trust each other and work at the work that we’ve both spent a lot of time developing the skill of.”
As for his own behavior, he says: “I think it’s a sad dog that can’t learn anymore. That’s a really sad puppy that can’t learn anymore. I don’t want to be that sad dog, and I have no intention of it.”
Watch the full interview below:
