Lucy Liu Is Proud That She Called Out Bill Murray On Set Years Before Anyone Else Dared
Long before Bill Murray started cutting $100k checks to victims of his on-set misbehavior, Lucy Liu cussed out the comedy and harassment legend just for the love of the game.
Ever since the #MeToo movement cracked the door open for survivors of sexual harassment, abuse and assault to publicly shame their monstrous bosses, coworkers and colleagues, guys like the 74-year-old film and TV icon Murray have been trying to shoulder that door shut and keep sordid tales of their workplace transgressions out of the tabloids. Sadly for Murray, that hasn’t stopped co-stars and coworkers from continuing to call him out for the creepy, unwanted advances and random outbursts of abusive behavior that we now know typified the Saturday Night Live veteran’s career for decades.
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But long before videos of Murray straight up molesting Geena Davis live on television went viral and prior to Murray’s pocket book opened up for production staffers affected by his assholery, Liu stood up to Murray and his “inexcusable and unacceptable” behavior toward her. Luckily she didn’t have to kill Bill — just his ego.
Liu went into detail about her infamous on-set clash with Murray to Deadline back in 2021 when she described how, during a rehearsal day that Murray missed for personal reasons, she and her Charlie's Angels co-stars “reworked” a scene involving Murray, who played John Bosley, the mysterious Charlie Townsend’s fretful assistant. Despite the fact that he was speaking to a veritable secret agent, when Murray returned to set and found that Liu and the Angels had made changes to the scene without his approval, he erupted.
Though Liu refused to reveal exactly what unprofessional language Murray used in the heated moment, Liu recounted how Murray began to “hurl insults” at her when he learned of the changes, to which she gave an incredulous, ”I’m so sorry. Are you talking to me?” Liu recalled. “I stood up for myself, and I don’t regret it,” saying of the appropriate workplace behavior that Murray failed to exhibit, "No matter how low on the totem pole you may be or wherever you came from, there’s no need to condescend or to put other people down.”
This week, Liu spoke to The Guardian about the clash with Murray, one which Charlie's Angels co-star Drew Barrymore corroborated, saying of her defense against Murray’s attacks, “I really didn’t think about it. I would have done that in any situation. I think when I sense something is not right, I am going to protect myself. It’s an innate thing to do if you feel there’s injustice, and I always feel that way.”
When asked if it would have been easier for her to stay quiet against a co-worker who was, at the time, a larger star than herself, Liu replied, “If I was (quiet), it would have been a much easier road. But because I’ve never been that person, we had to find a way. I think there has never been an easy road, for me and for us — and I say ‘us,’ because I really think it’s a group effort.”
Liu explained that “us” meant other Asian-American actors, saying, “I would never take credit. My career has not been paved by myself.”
It’s just a shame that Liu didn’t know at the time how Murray would one day have to start paying up for his bad behavior. Liu may not take credit, but she could have taken a check.
