Solange adds to the discourse surrounding Bill Murray amid ‘Being Mortal’ scandal
Oct 10, 2018
In case you hadn’t heard, the actor/director is at the center of the ongoing controversy surrounding his public statements about a life-altering lung condition and the potential implications it has on his long-term health. But as it turns out, the controversy surrounding the actor/director/playwright/writer isn’t just a matter of how Murray has reacted to the situation. It’s an issue of what he does with it.
On Wednesday, Oct. 9, the actor had a particularly difficult day. As the curtain went up for “Hedwig and the Angry Inch,” he was faced with an audience, a panel of esteemed doctors, and the media. His wife, actress Shailene Woodley, who was onstage sharing the stage with him, was on stage with him when he had to make a decision about his future with his three children—all while holding their hand as they all sang together in harmony, something that is only possible when the actor is at his most vulnerable.
As a veteran of the television industry, one whose experience includes the role of a TV executive, a sitcom writer, and an actor who plays the lead in a CBS sitcom, I’ve felt my share of anxiety at the prospect of seeing myself on a reality show. But there was something especially frightening about watching the man I once thought of as “the guy from ‘St. Vincent’” become the subject of intense scrutiny. And I was certain that one way or another, Bill Murray would rise to the occasion.
To his credit, Murray managed to take the whole thing in stride. He seemed not to suffer or be affected by the intense attention focused on him, and he managed to maintain a professional demeanor while taking on the role of the “most difficult and sensitive patient on earth.” But we all know that the reality is that Bill Murray is a very private person and that when the spotlight is on him, he is often the most vulnerable of all.
What happens when they begin sharing a stage?
In a post-film Q&A session with reporters at the Gershwin Festival in New York City, Murray discussed several