Scrooged
( 1988)
I got a call from my agent, who said, “Read this script. Bill Murray’s committed to it.” I thought it had great possibilities, but I wasn’t sure. My agent called back and said, “Bill Murray wants to meet you. He’ll be at your house around nine o’clock.” I said, “Okay…” It’s nine o’clock, nine- thirty, ten o’clock, ten- thirty… No, Bill Murray. I said, “Fuck this.” Just as I’m about to go to bed the gate bell rings. It’s Bill. He said, “I gotta see ya. Let me in, please.” I let him in and he just started talking about everything that had nothing to do with the screenplay. Like there wasn’t even a movie. He was totally charming and funny and delightful. We had a couple of drinks and a hit on a joint or something. He said, “Where’s Lauren?” I said, “She’s sleeping.” I went to the bathroom and the next thing I hear is Lauren yelling upstairs. Bill had gone upstairs to the bedroom to wake her up… I just fell in love with this crazy guy. It was like that making the movie. He was just an amazing, talented genius, for whom stuff came out of nowhere.