Bill Murray has always been a mystery wrapped in an enigma, an eccentric and aloof presence who happens to be a universally beloved actor and comedian with a string of wildly successful and popular movies dating back decades.
He doesn’t have an agent, he doesn’t have a manager, and he doesn’t even have a cellphone, so the only way to reach him if you want to offer him a part in your project is via a 1-800 number and answering machine that he’s admitted he doesn’t check all that often. Unless you’re Wes Anderson, in which case he’ll instantly sign on without hesitation.
The tales of Bill Murray doing Bill Murray things are legion, whether it’s turning up at a student party in Scotland only to end up washing the dishes, heading behind the bar at a festival and handing out tequila shots regardless of what the patrons asked him for, or his random and voluminous photobombs.
In an interview with ComicBook, star McKenna Grace revealed that the returning Peter Venkman celebrated his birthday on the Ghostbusters: Afterlife set in a method that sounds bizarre, but yet totally fitting given his reputation.
“Imagine, we got to be there for Bill Murray’s birthday. And he hired a bagpiper to follow him around.”
To be a fly on the wall of the Ghostbusters: Afterlife set, watching Bill Murray being followed around all day by a bagpiper that he’s pretending isn’t even there for no other reason than to mess with people is something that definitely should have been documented and saved for a behind the scenes documentary or home video special feature.