Bill Murray appeared to get emotional as he recalled working with “good friend” Bruce Willis on Wes Anderson’s 2012 romcom Moonrise Kingdom.
During a recent appearance on Andy Cohen’s Watch What Happens Live talk show to promote his new movie The Friend, Murray, 74, was asked to rank a handful of Anderson’s movies, including Moonrise Kingdom, from least favorite to favorite.
As he went through the list of films, all of which he’s starred in, Murray shared brief notes about each.
Praising The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014) for its “incredible” technical aspects and calling The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2005) the most challenging job, he remembered Moonrise Kingdom as being a “beautiful and lovely film.”
He further remembered co-starring alongside Willis in the latter.
“I got to work with, and I got to have a wonderful time with Bruce Willis, [who] we should remember today. He just had a birthday,” Murray said of the Die Hard star, who recently celebrated his 70th birthday.
“Bruce Willis is a good guy. He’s a good f***ing guy. And he was a good friend,” he added of the retired actor, who’s currently living with dementia.
Murray went on to reveal that he had actually crossed paths with Willis at NBC’s New York City headquarters years before they worked together on Moonrise Kingdom.
“Bruce Willis was a page at NBC when I was on Saturday Night Live,” he remembered, explaining Willis’ job was to go around to the dressing rooms and refill snacks.
“And I remember when I met him after he was a successful guy, he said, ‘You and Gilda [Radner] were nice to me.’ And I always thought, ‘OK, I’m good with this guy,’” Murray added.
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In 2023, Willis’ family announced that the actor had been diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia (FTD). The news came a year after they initially revealed he had been diagnosed with aphasia and would be “stepping away” from acting.
On March 19, he celebrated his 70th birthday with his wife, Emma Heming Willis, honoring him on Instagram.
“It’s Bruce’s birthday, and if there’s one thing I know, it’s that there’s no greater fan than a Bruce fan,” she wrote, alongside a photo of Willis giving two thumbs up while standing on an ATV four-wheeler.
“So flood him with all the love today, he will feel it, I swear he will. You are one powerful bunch. I love how you rally for him, and I’m so grateful that he has you.”