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Geena Davis says awkward interview with Bill Murray on Arsenio was 'devastating'

Home> Film & TV

Published 13:39 22 Oct 2022 GMT+1

Geena Davis says awkward interview with Bill Murray on Arsenio was 'devastating'

Geena Davis has spoken out about the alleged abuse she experienced at the hands of Bill Murray.

Poppy Bilderbeck

Poppy Bilderbeck

Geena Davis has spoken out about the alleged abuse she experienced at the hands of Bill Murray.

Geena Davis - best known for her roles in 1991's Thelma and Louise and medical television series Grey's Anatomy - worked alongside Bill Murray on 1990 crime comedy Quick Change.

The film acted as Murray's directorial debut, however, he also starred in it too.

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Murray played the role of robber clown Grimm and Davis took on the character of Grimm's girlfriend, Phyllis Potter.

Davis has since reflected on the pair's appearance on The Arsenio Hall Show promoting the film, as well as Murray's alleged behaviour during her audition.

*Warning: Contains behaviour and descriptions of a sexual nature some may find upsetting.*

In an interview with iNews, Davis recalled the pair's appearance on The Arsenio Hall Show, calling Murray's behaviour 'stunning' and 'awful'.

Despite Murray's inappropriate touching of her during the interview, Davis carried on, telling the late-night talk show host about her audition for Quick Change.

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However, her audition for the film was as equally as awkward as the interview.

Murray and Davis starred alongside one another during 'Quick Change'.
Warner Bros.

While being stroked and having her dress strap taken down by Murray, David admitted to the the talk show host Murray also touched her a lot in the audition.

Davis' interview for Quick Change took place in 1990 at Murray's hotel suite.

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"The first thing he did was take the shirt out of my pants and start tickling my stomach," she says.

However, after realising the enormity of what she is saying, Davis quickly asks if she should 'back up'.

The pair's appearance on The Arsenio Hall Show saw Murray take down one of Davis' dress straps.
Paramount/ CBS

The conversation continues and Davis claims Murray then tried to use, 'The Thumper' - a massage device - on her during the audition after they discussed her character being 'tougher'.

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"It's endorsed by doctors," Murray tells Hall.

"So he gets out this thumper thing and he says, 'You should try this, I'm going to massage your back with this," Davis recalls.

During the appearance, Davis claimed Murray got out a massage toy during her audition for 'Quick Change'.
Paramount/ CBS

The decision for Davis' character to be 'tougher' was later reversed.

In her recently released memoir, Dying of Politeness, the actor recalls: "I said no multiple times, but he wouldn’t relent.

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"I realised with a profound sadness that I didn’t yet have the ability to withstand this onslaught – or to simply walk out."

In her interview with iNews, Davis explained she recounted the story of her audition while on The Arsenio Hall Show as 'a humorous anecdote'.

Davis reflected: "I must have thought, ‘Well, it’s ultimately funny, or makes a good story,’ when in fact it was so devastating."

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UNILAD has contacted Bill Murray's lawyers for comment.

If you have been affected by any of the issues in this article and wish to speak to someone in confidence, contact The Survivor’s Trust for free on 08088 010 818, or through their website thesurvivorstrust.org

Featured Image Credit: Paramount Domestic Television / Sipa US / Alamy Stock Photo

Topics: Film and TV, Celebrity, US News, Bill Murray

Poppy Bilderbeck
Poppy Bilderbeck

Poppy Bilderbeck is a Senior Journalist at LADbible Group. She graduated from The University of Manchester in 2021 with a First in English Literature and Drama, where alongside her studies she was Editor-in-Chief of The Tab Manchester. Poppy is most comfortable when chatting about all things mental health, is proving a drama degree is far from useless by watching and reviewing as many TV shows and films as possible and is such a crisp fanatic the office has been forced to release them in batches.

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