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Bill Murray reportedly paid a “much younger” production assistant $100,000 after being accused of “inappropriate behaviour”.
The 72-year-old actor's film ‘Being Mortal' shut down production in April after an allegation was made against him, and a new report has alleged the ‘Groundhog Day' star grabbed the unnamed woman near a production bed, kissed her on the mouth – though both were wearing face masks due to COVID-19 protocols 0 and kissing her body while “straddling her”.
According to Puck, “the woman interpreted his actions as entirely sexual” and was “horrified” by the actor's alleged conduct, which was also reported by a second staff member, who witnessed the alleged incident.
Sources told the outlet Murray settled the claim out of court for $100,000 in exchange for the woman – who was said to have been “particularly friendly” with the actor – agreeing to maintain confidentiality and giving up her rights to later sue the producers of the film, Searchlight, and Disney.
The ‘French Dispatch' star previously claimed he had “done something [he] thought was funny” on the set of the film and hoped to “make peace” with the woman.
He said: “I did something I thought was funny, and it wasn't taken that way.
“The company, the movie studio, wanted to do the right thing, so they wanted to check it all out, investigate it. and so they stopped the production.
“As of now, we're talking and we're trying to make peace with each other. I think that's where the real issue is, between our peace.
“We're both professionals, we like each others' work.”
Bill has “done not much else but thinking about it” in recent weeks and claimed the incident and its fallout have been an “education” for him.
He continued: “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. It's been quite an education for me.
And I feel like if I don't see that, you know, 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.
“[I wondered], ‘How could I misperceive? How could I be so inaccurate and so insensitive when you think you're being sensitive to some sensibility that you've had for a long time?'
“ So we're talking about it. We're, I think we're gonna make peace with it. I'm very optimistic about that.
“I think it's a sad dog that can't learn anymore. I think 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.”
Filming on the movie – which is Aziz Ansari's directorial debut – has yet to resume.
