Keke Palmer wants to complete production on Being Mortal, comedian Aziz Ansari’s directorial debut and an adaptation of Atul Gawande’s book of the same name.
In April, the movie’s production was canceled by Searchlight Pictures after an employee filed a lawsuit against actor Bill Murray for alleged misconduct.
Although she didn’t specifically point out to her co-star, Palmer said in an interview with Variety that she’s looking forward to Ansari being able to finish an “amazing film” soon. A film she thought would have to undergo a “major rewrite” after Murray’s controversy.
“If somebody could figure it out, it would be Aziz,” Palmer stated at the Los Angeles Academy Museum Gala on Saturday, revealing that she has no knowledge of the film’s completion.
“Obviously, we got cut short at a certain point, but I will say that I am pretty devastated. It’s an amazing film. If there is some way to be able to complete, salvage it, I would want to do it.”
Without citing the controversy, Palmer said Ansari “would probably have to do a major rewrite, but I know what we got was gold.”
Incident Report
Reports of the incident surfaced after Puck released details earlier this month. According to multiple sources, Murray was kissing and straddling a young female production crew member on set.
Murray, who allegedly felt the staff member was watching him, also allegedly kissed the staff on the mouth despite COVID-19 protocol to wear a mask.
The unidentified woman and another employee who saw the incident sued Murray, leading to Searchlight’s decision to halt production. However, according to reports, the reason for the move was not disclosed to the cast and staff.
Murray, who allegedly attributed the incident to a miscommunication, and the woman eventually settled the lawsuit – the former paying for damages to the latter “just north of $100,000.”
Representatives for Murray, Ansari and Searchlight did not respond when asked for comment on the report.
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Not the First Time Murray Did This
Murray previously addressed the accusations in April; however, he did not break down any details of the legal complaint.
“I did something I thought was funny, and it wasn’t taken the way,” the actor said in an interview with CNBC. “The company, the movie studio, wanted to do the right thing, so they wanted to check it all out, investigate it, and so they stopped the production.”
He added, “But as of now, we’re talking, and we’re trying to make peace with each other.
“We’re both professionals. We like each other’s work, and if you can’t really get along and trust each other, there’s no point in going further working together or making a movie as well.”
It is not the only time that Murray has been caught up in these controversies. He has faced misconduct allegations on the set of Quick Change – a 1990 comedy also starring Geena Davis – and Saturday Night Live.
Davis said Murray shouted at her privately and before the cast and crew on the movie’s set and gave her a massage using a massage device without her consent during her audition for the movie.
Meanwhile, Seth Green claimed that Murray pushed him into a trashcan behind the stage on SNL when he was only 9 years old.
Click here to watch Palmer’s interview from the Academy Museum Gala.
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Photo: J-14
