Bill Murray: Filming Upcoming 'Ghostbusters: Afterlife' Was 'Physically Painful'

On today's episode of Bill Murray continuing to exist as a national treasure, it seems the actor has once again proven that he is more than just a living legend famed for his acclaimed comedy chops, apparent Chevy Chase-fighting abilities, and status as a serial party crasher. As evident from his remarks while accepting an award this weekend, it seems Murray is also a tortured artist, suffering through a “really hard” and "physically painful" shoot to satisfy our incredible demand for nostalgic 80's reboots – a.k.a Ghostbusters: Afterlife.

“It was hard. It was really hard," Murray said of the film's production on Saturday while accepting the Santa Barbara Film Festival's Maltin Modern Master Award, NME reported. “That’s why I think it’s gonna be good. We were just in it for a little while, but it was physically painful. Wearing those packs is extremely uncomfortable. We had batteries the size of batteries. They now have batteries the size of earrings. It’s still a really heavy thing to wear, all the time.”

Set to hit theaters this November after being postponed due to the pandemic, Murray is set to reprise his iconic role as the gloriously sarcastic Dr. Peter Venkman, with several stars from the original flicks, including Dan Aykroyd, Annie Potts, Ernie Hudson, and Sigourney Weaver, all returning for the franchise's latest installment. Despite his apparent enthusiasm for starring in a Ghostbusters reboot that he says “that really brings it back to life,” and “really has the feel of the first one, more than the second one or the girls’ one,” kicking ass and facing the man-made elements in that iconic uniform came with a specific set of challenges. “The special effects in this one are a lot of wind and dirt in your face, and there was a lot of going down and getting back up," he recalled. “I was like, ‘What is this? What am I doing? These are like Bulgarian deadlifts, or a Russian kettlebell, getting up and down with this thing on my back.’ It was very uncomfortable.”

However, according to the beloved actor, the intense, CrossFit-inspired workout that was filming the Ghostbusters follow-up will likely be all worth it once the film hits theaters. “Usually, when something has a very high misery quotient, something comes of that and some quality is produced that, if you can capture it and project it, comes on the screen and affects you. I think it comes out sometime in the fall. They’ve delayed it for a year or a year and a half, but I’m glad they did. It will be worth seeing.”

So folks, if there's something strange in your neighborhood OR you're looking for a torturous, albeit seemingly pretty effective workout, you know exactly who to call.

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