Bill Murray's "inappropriate behavior" shuts down production on Being Mortal
Los Angeles, California - Filming on Aziz Ansari's directorial debut Being Mortal was shut down this week following a reported complaint over inappropriate behavior by co-star Bill Murray.
Adapted from Atul Gawande's nonfiction book Being Mortal: Illness, Medicine and What Matters in the End, the movie stars Ansari, Murray, and Seth Rogen. Filming began nearly a month ago in Los Angeles.
While specifics have not been made public, Deadline reported that the complaint was filed last week and that Murray is the subject of the complaint.
According to Deadline, filming was paused Monday before the decision was made to suspend the Searchlight Pictures production. The studio reportedly informed cast and crew of the interruption in a letter Tuesday night citing the unspecified complaint. The letter stated the hope is to resume production in the future.
Searchlight Pictures on Wednesday confirmed that the Being Mortal production had been suspended, but would not comment on an ongoing investigation.
Being Mortal is the feature directorial debut from Master of None star Ansari, who also wrote the film and is producing alongside Youree Henley (The Lighthouse). The film had been set for a 2023 theatrical release.
A well-established reputation
Murray's prickly on-set reputation with co-stars and producers is a long-running theme.
Last year, Charlie's Angels co-star Lucy Liu broke her silence nearly two decades after an incident while making the 2000 film led to him allegedly hurling insults at her.
"Some of the language was inexcusable and unacceptable, and I was not going to just sit there and take it," Liu told the Los Angeles Times Asian Enough podcast. "I stood up for myself, and I don't regret it."
Ansari was himself embroiled in a highly publicized 2018 sexual misconduct scandal and later addressed allegations during subsequent stand-up shows and in his own 2019 Netflix comedy special Aziz Ansari: Right Now.
He most recently directed his own comedy special Aziz Ansari: Nightclub Comedian, his fourth for the streamer, which debuted earlier this year.
Cover photo: REUTERS