Bill Murray: "The secret to my success is hiding"
The actor is again under the command of Jim Jarmusch in 'The dead don't die', a zombie movie with an environmental message: "I believe in the power of culture and comedy," he says
The last edition of the Cannes Film Festival opened with Jim Jarmusch's film 'The Dead Don't Die', which opens in theaters this Friday, a film with an apocalyptic message aimed at new generations. The tape has achieved the return to public life of the singer Selena Gomez, retired for a few months due to depression. This new narrative from Jarmusch centers on two cops, played by Bill Murray and Adam Driver, who face a zombie attack on their town. It was the decline of society that inspired the director to shoot this funny film, where he repeats for the third time with Murray (Evanston, USA, 1950). The actor, little given to giving interviews, received journalists in Cannes causing laughter with almost every answer.
-You are very selective with your roles. How did Jim Jarmusch convince you to shoot this movie?
-He paid me enough... Jim sent me a check with many zeros, when they pay you so much you don't say no. He also sent me many gifts for several days and showed me that he really wanted to work with me.
-Jokes aside, what does Jarmusch have that you have worked with him three times?
-He is a great manipulator and I like how it works. I have no idea what his job is. I liked the script. We live in a divided society, where the decline of nature is palpable for days, a threat that we do not pay enough attention to. I can't understand how we don't live in fear and worry about it.
-'The dead don't die' sends a positive message of hope. Does he still believe in the human species?
- Little, but I think. We have caused the apocalypse with our constant confrontation, with wars, with our division. We have a destructive mindset. However, I believe in the power of culture. If we educate ourselves, if we seek empathy, we will be able to survive. I believe in humor, in the power of comedy. That is my job, to try to neutralize this sick hatred that lives in human beings. We need to open our eyes to others, understand that they have the same problems as us and laugh more.
-This is a zombie movie. Do you believe in life after death?
-I believe that life after death is not something for everyone. Some reach it, but others do not. I really do. It is impossible that those who do not deserve it can have more life
-How is Jim Jarmusch in the short distances?
-A very strange guy. Jim lives in black and white. He speaks of shadows, day and night. He comes with you to lunch like he's going out for the night. Actually, he has tried to find a balance between humor and sobriety in the subject he presents. We are destroying the planet and putting ourselves in danger. He's not trying to tell anyone how he should live or think, but he would appreciate it if we humans became a little more consistent with our actions. Fatalism and darkness appear in the film, but there are also jokes and comic moments. It is difficult to live as humans, and in the end, we become zombies.
What is the secret of his success?
-Hide; The more I hide, the more they seek me. I'm not a noisy guy, I'm a comedian who tries to make people laugh with his silences and that seems to please the public and directors as crazy as Jarmusch. I never pretend to be someone else, I am not an actor who has created an image to hide behind it.
-Why is he so reserved?
He is part of my personality. I think that way I will get better offers (he jokes). As a performer I like to take risks, bet on projects in which I trusted the director. I like directors like Wes Anderson and Jim Jarmusch and I will work with them whenever they call me.
-What scares you?
-Come to Cannes and give interviews. Shooting movies is a very dangerous activity. We look fit, but we must be aware that each day of filming may be the last. This is how I work.
-What do you think are the big differences between his work in the 80s and 90s with respect to the current moment?
- Before the scripts were not so good. I tell you honestly. In the 1980s and 1990s, writers were less demanding with their work. Before, I had an agent and I received a lot of scripts that were shit. Now I don't have it anymore and I only get good scripts.
-Are you proud of his film legacy?
-Yes, of everything I have done, of the successes and the films that did not succeed. All of them are part of me, they are my children and I like them all. I like my career and I would pit my list of movies against any actor. I'm not saying he's the best, but I like my roster. I like the people I have worked with, the things I have done and for that I have received a great reward.
Do you have anything in common with your characters?
-Of course. I like to look at my career as a whole and there are several themes that recur in my work as an actor. I like to study human beings, understand the engine that moves them and I believe that emotions such as love and laughter are part of me, of my career, although, beware, without ever falling into sentimentality. I don't like sugary stories.
