Wes Anderson is known for his whimsical style of films. His distinct visual style, including symmetrical shots, multiple storylines, deadpan humor, and a large ensemble cast, is his trademark, and the auteur employs it in every film of his.
One of Anderson’s most frequent collaborators is Ghostbusters star Bill Murray. The legendary comic actor has been in his films in some capacity since Rushmore. The actor was accused of inappropriate behavior in 2022 and was widely criticized for his onset misconduct. However, Anderson came to his rescue and stood by the actor.
Wes Anderson’s Penchant For Repeating Actors In His Films
Director Wes Anderson gained notoriety for his films Bottle Rocket and Rushmore, the latter of which is considered on many best comedies list. Rushmore began his collaboration with actors Jason Schwartzman and Bill Murray, who would become frequent actors in his subsequent films.
Murray has been in every film of Anderson’s since Rushmore, barring his latest film Asteroid City. Characterized by large, ensemble casts, Anderson usually repeats his actors and has collaborated with actors such as Owen Wilson, Bill Murray, Adrien Brody, Anjelica Huston, and more.
Talking about his penchant for casting the same actor multiple times, Anderson said to IndieWire,
“You know, the people I work with — Owen [Wilson], Bill, and Jason [Schwartzman] — these are people I have such a long thing with that when I don’t have them, gosh, I feel they’re missing. But at the same time, it’s probably not the worst thing in the world. I always love having new people. It just expands the whole range of it. You know, we have other movies.”
One of his most frequent collaborators is Bill Murray, appearing in nine films of Wes Anderson’s. The actor has not just appeared in a staring role, but also in cameos and voice acting roles. However, the Zombieland star was missing from Anderson’s latest film Asteroid City.
Why Did Wes Anderson Not Cast Bill Murray In Asteroid City?
In 2022, Bill Murray was accused of inappropriate behavior and sexual misconduct on the sets of Aziz Ansari’s feature film debut Being Mortal. Filming was suspended after a female production assistant accused Murray of being inappropriate with her and filed a formal complaint.
Murray maintained that his behavior was ‘jestful’ and chalked it up to the ‘changing nature of comedy in today’s world’, and that the victim had misinterpreted his actions. The allegations brought to light the many behavioral incidents, feuds, and harassment allegations against the comedic actor.
However, the actor was defended by his longtime collaborator Wes Anderson, who mentioned that he would be working with Murray again despite the allegations. He also said that his absence from Asteroid City was not the result of the allegations but just of schedule issues.
Anderson came to Murray’s defense in an interview with IndieWire,
“My experience with Bill is so extensive. Bill was such a great supporter of me from the very beginning. I don’t want to speak about somebody else’s experience, but he’s really part of my family. You know, he’s my daughter’s godfather. In fact, he actually baptized her. He’s the one who splashed the water.”
Wes Anderson explained that Bill Murray was supposed to play the character that was eventually played by Steve Carrell in Asteroid City. However, the actor was reportedly struck with COVID-19 four days before the shoot and hence, had to back out.
