Why Isn't Bill Murray In Wes Anderson's Asteroid City?

Aliens? Sure. A play within a play within a movie? Honestly expected at this point. But a Wes Anderson film without even a cameo appearance from Herman J. Blume himself? Now that is surprising.

Since his career was revitalized by the now critically impenetrable auteur in the 1998 breakout coming-of-age comedy "Rushmore," Bill Murray has appeared in various capacities in every single Wes Anderson film — a nine-movie streak that officially ends with his absence from Anderson's latest flick, "Asteroid City." The recently embattled 72-year-old actor has been publicly confronted with and condemned for what many consider to be reprehensible on-set behavior, ranging from allegations of disruptive unprofessionalism to outright harassment and abuse. With this information being so prevalent in the current cultural zeitgeist, many have likely assumed that the actor was let go to make the rest of the cast feel safe, or that Murray himself had pulled out to avoid an inevitably brutal press run that would detract focus from Anderson's work. However, the real reason for his departure is actually quite mundane.

According to reports from July of 2022 that have been recently confirmed by Anderson during the press tour for "Asteroid City," Murray was forced to drop out after contracting a nasty case of COVID-19 just before shooting was about to begin. As Anderson admitted, it would have been impossible to postpone Murray's scenes until his recovery, as most of his expensive, A-List scene partners would have had to move on to other projects. Surprisingly, that doesn't mean that Murray was entirely distant from "Asteroid City," or that Anderson has shied away from sharing his feelings about the controversies his longtime collaborator has faced.

To recap very briefly, Bill Murray's bout with public scrutiny came after reports from the set of Aziz Ansari's now-indefinitely suspended film "Being Mortal" claimed that production had halted for an investigation into Murray's alleged sexual harassment of a female crew member. The news was shocking to many, especially those who've held Murray's formerly popular persona of being a talented, loveable grump closely in their mind for the majority of his prolific career.

Others, however, were quick to detail and relitigate previously public pre-#MeToo allegations made against him. Though there were obviously no unanimous conclusions drawn as a consequence, Murray's alleged actions — or at the very least the discourse around them — has irreparably altered his reputation in the industry, turning his name on a poster into a cringe-inducing sight rather than a promise of quality.

Given how much noise was made of his peripheral involvement in Marvel's "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania" (a move that, for many reasons, including Murray's presence, now reaps such a vast field of disappointment on and off the screen that it likely borders on unwatchable for some), it was arguably for the best from a marketing standpoint that his name was not anywhere near "Asteroid City." Despite this, Wes Anderson openly shared his support for Murray on the press tour for the film, citing their decades-long friendship and artistic partnership.

Addressing the casting switch-up just days ahead of the film's limited U.S. release in an interview with IndieWire, Wes Anderson seemingly wanted to make it very clear that Bill Murray's absence was due to COVID, not the allegations of past on-set misconduct. Though he said he would normally not comment extensively on a role that was originally meant for one actor out of respect for their replacement (in this case, Steve Carell), the director felt it necessary to do so as there had been "some confusion" about the circumstances surrounding Murray's exit.

As the interview continued, Anderson attempted to explain why, despite the public backlash, his feelings for the "Groundhog Day" actor remain warm and familial. "I don't want to speak about somebody else's experience," he began, "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." Anderson did not condone or outright dismiss any of the allegations brought against Murray but maintained that they are still close friends. He also said they drove from Spain to France together immediately after "Asteroid City" wrapped production.

Murray's turn as Jason Schwartzman's wealthy adult friend Herman Blume in "Rushmore" is largely credited with his career's impressive second act, during which he began to take on more "serious" dramatic roles. He appeared in every Anderson film afterward, up to and including 2021's "The French Dispatch," in which he played Arthur Howitzer, Jr. Though Anderson was saddened to not work with Murray on "Asteroid City," he said it was likely for the best that he continue to widen his creative circle, furthermore praising Carell's performance, stating "I loved having him." Murray is not currently slated to appear in Anderson's next film, "The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar."