Naomi Watts Did Everything She Could to Get Bill Murray to Star in The Friend

Naomi Watts and Bill Murray They first shared the screen together in 2014's touching film, Saint VincentAfter a decade, the stars aligned again. Friendan unforgettable drama directed by Scott McGee and David Siegel. But as it turned out, getting Murray to act was nearly impossible at that point. Despite their previous collaboration, getting Murray the script was a tall order for Watts, but she was determined to make it happen.

At the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) for the premiere of the film FriendNaomi Watts and the film's co-director, David Siegel, sat down for an exclusive interview with Collider and talked about their experience connecting with Murray. FriendWhen asked about her experience working with Murray and whether casting him for the role was easy, Watts replied:

“No, not really. We’ve worked together before, but we don’t always keep in touch. Even though I’m on this second film, I think we’ll probably be in touch more. I wasn’t sure if his number had changed and certainly people have asked me before if I would pass him a script. I did that again. When the guys talked to me about who they were thinking of for Walter, and they came up with this name, I fell in love with the idea right away and made it my mission to make it happen. At first, I was a little defensive and said, ‘Wait, are you just using me to get to Bill Murray? Is that what this is about?’ That speaks volumes about my self-esteem. I loved the idea. I thought I’d give it a shot.

Although it wasn't difficult for Watts to contact Murray, convincing him to sign on to the film was no easy process at all.

I texted him and he responded right away, but the other caveat was that you couldn’t email him. He wouldn’t read it digitally. We had to print it out and hand deliver it. I was able to track down where he was at a certain point in time. He doesn’t have an agent; he doesn’t have a contact person. It might work, and if it does, it might not. We don’t know when he’ll be there or you can’t rush the process with him. He loved the story right away. He read the book right away. He didn’t like it when it was available.

Friend A moving drama that follows Iris, a novelist and creative writing teacher played by Watts. Her life is thrown into disarray when her best friend and mentor, Walter (Murray), suddenly dies, leaving Iris with custody of his beloved Great Dane, Apollo. Under the expert direction of McGee and Siegel, the film explores themes of friendship, grief and healing.

Why is Bill Murray almost impossible to reach?

Bill Murray has established a legendary status in Hollywood with his unconventional career decisions and unpredictability. He is best known for playing iconic roles in films such as Ghostbusters, Groundhog Dayand Lost in translationConnecting with a famous actor for a new project is not easy.

For years, Murray has been extremely difficult to contact because he doesn’t have an agent, manager, or even a cell phone. Instead, he uses a toll-free number with a pre-recorded message for callers to navigate through. In a 2022 interview with Far Out magazine, Murray explained, “I disconnected the phone and then got an 800 number, which was very helpful… I wasn’t so disciplined anymore. It was a way where you couldn’t answer any phone, and whenever you felt like sharing, you could check who called you and what message you got. It freed up my life a lot.”

This approach means that filmmakers must rely either on random encounters or make constant efforts to contact Murray. His elusive nature has even led to Murray dropping out of several projects because he simply did not check his messages in a timely manner. He has missed out on roles in splash, Who set Roger Rabbit up?, Rain Man, forrest gumpand toy storyRegardless, Murray's career has remained illustrious, and the star continues to impress fans, despite the many controversies he has caused in recent years.