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Geena Davis Says Bill Murray Raged At Her In A 'Full Clown Costume' During Filming Of '80s Movie
Geena Davis came forward with more details about Bill Murray's alleged misconduct on set after revealing an incident while they were filming the 1989 movie Quick Change.
In October 2022, the Accidental Tourist and Beetlejuice actress told the UK’s The Times Murray had tantrums on set and threatened to use "the thumper" on Davis during a meeting in a hotel room.
Last year, a build-up of misconduct allegations was levied against Muray–who is known for Groundhog Day and Sofia Coppola's Lost in Translation.
An Aziz Ansari film production Murray was involved in was paused due to Murray's "inappropriate behavior." The 2016 recipient of the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor addressed the situation.
He told a CNBC interviewer:
“I did something I thought was funny, and it wasn’t taken that way."
This followed Lucy Liu's allegation Murray made “inexcusable” remarks when they worked together in the 2000 film Charlie's Angels.
When asked about working with Murray and about the on set abuse, Davis elaborated further during an episode of the On With Kara Swisher podcast.
\u201cGeena Davis revealed more details about how Bill Murray allegedly harassed her on the set of \u201cQuick Change.\u201d\n\n"Bill Murray \u2014 in a full clown costume, by the way \u2014 slams into the trailer with rage coming out of his eyeballs and starts...swearing at me." https://t.co/du0cSIuwW1\u201d— Variety (@Variety) 1673545243
Before production began on Quick Change, Davis recalled:
"I went to meet with Bill Murray and his co-director and a producer in a hotel suite. And I came in and went to sit down with everybody sitting there."
Murray then inquired about Davis' experience with a particular personal massage device.
"But Bill Murray popped up and said, 'Hey, have you ever tried the Thumper?' And I'm like, 'What? No. What's that?' 'Well come try it.' 'No, no, no'."
Davis said Murray then told her:
"Lay down here. I wanna try it on you."
"I'm like, 'No, no, no, thank you.' And he keeps at it."
"And I keep saying 'No' to the point where I would've had to scream at him, 'Stop f'king asking me! I am not doing it. Do you understand?'"
"Which I was far too timid to do."
"So I perched on the corner of the bed and let him do it, and he did it for like one second, and then didn't ask how I liked it or anything."
"So I realized it was just to see if he could force me to do something inappropriate."
In her memoir, Dying of Politeness, the Academy Award-winning actress clarified Murray used the device on her:
"...for a total of about two seconds."
But the harassment didn't end there.
During filming Quick Change–which marked Murray's directorial debut–Davis said Murray stormed into her trailer in a fit of rage and berated her while wearing a clown costume.
"We were shooting a huge scene out on an intersection in Manhattan with hundreds of extras and a giant crew and all that stuff."
"And they said, 'We're ready for you to come to set.' And I said, 'Well, costumes asked me to wait here one second. Can I do that, or should I come with you?'"
"Seconds later, Bill Murray—in a full clown costume, by the way—slams into the trailer with rage coming out of his eyeballs and starts screaming at me and swearing at me, 'Get the f'k out there! What the f'k are you doing? Move! Move!'"
\u201cGeena Davis is done with being overly polite. She opens up to @karaswisher about Bill Murray's attempts to "put her in line" and how she's swapped politeness for empowerment to change the entertainment industry in a post-Me Too Hollywood https://t.co/ZfnBNr2isF\u201d— New York Magazine (@New York Magazine) 1673371693
She continued:
"And we’re getting to this intersection where there’s hundreds of people watching this, and he keeps it up and keeps it up until he says, 'Stand there' and points to a mark on the pavement and starts shooting."
"And I was literally shaking, and he elbowed me after a few takes. He said, 'What’s up with you? Come on, come on. It’s all good'.”
\u201c@Variety I can\u2019t believe this happened to her. I feel for her because she shouldn\u2019t have been treated that way and the way he sexually harassed her on Arsenio Hall is unacceptable\u201d— Variety (@Variety) 1673545243
\u201c@Variety I find Geena Davis believable. Murray has always seemed like a jerk.\u201d— Variety (@Variety) 1673545243
\u201c@TMZ @TooFab So glad she\u2019s exposing his behavior. I don\u2019t understand why people can\u2019t see thru his phoniness and look at me insecurity. At Pebble Beach he\u2019s so over the top. Jim Garner couldn\u2019t stand him.\u201d— TMZ (@TMZ) 1673559606
Looking back on the incident, Davis said it was "very emotional for her."
She said on the podcast:
"Because I felt so ashamed, you know, for somebody who wants to do things right. You know?"
Last October, actor Seth Green also opened up about enduring abuse from Murray when Green appeared on SNL as a child actor.
Murray allegedly picked Green up by the ankles and threw him into a trash can after Green refused to get up from the chair Murray claimed was his.
Green said on the Good Mythical Morning YouTube show:
"He dropped me in the trash can, the trash can falls over. I was horrified. I ran away, hid under the table in my dressing room, and just cried.”