Richard Dreyfuss Says Bill Murray Was a “Drunken Bully” on Set

Dreyfuss was not complimentary about Murray's behavior during "What About Bob?"

Richard Dreyfuss at the 73rd Edinburgh International Film Festival. (Roberto Ricciuti/Getty)
Richard Dreyfuss at the 73rd Edinburgh International Film Festival. (Roberto Ricciuti/Getty)
Getty Images

In many of his movies, Bill Murray plays himself.

According to Richard Dreyfuss, who starred with Murray in the 1991 comedy What About Bob?, that’s not necessarily a good thing since the 68-year-old actor can be somewhat of a jerk on-set.

Case in point: During the filming of What About Bob?, Murray behaved like an “Irish drunken bully,” according to an interview Dreyfuss did with Yahoo.

“He came back from dinner [one night] walked in and I said, ‘Read this [script tweak], I think it’s really funny.’ And he put his face next to me, nose-to-nose. And he screamed at the top of his lungs, ‘Everyone hates you! You are tolerated,’” Dreyfuss said.

Then, according to Dreyfuss, Murray got physical.

“There was no time to react, because he leaned back and he took a modern glass-blown ashtray,” Dreyfuss said of Murray. “He threw it at my face from [only a couple feet away]. And it weighed about three quarters of a pound. And he missed me. He tried to hit me. I got up and left.”

Murray’s ex-wife Jennifer Butler has previously alleged that the Academy Award-nominated actor physically abused her several times during their marriage, including once hitting her in the face during a November 2007 confrontation.

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