Thank you so, so much for your time.
Well, thank you. It's great to be with you.
Very, very excited to talk to a real life Ghostbuster.
I'll be honest.
It's a
as a as a four year old, you know, there's not many things I have to cling onto,
so it's always nice to tell, people I was intervieweing a Ghostbuster
today, although and I said some people, I wasn't even a Ghostbuster.
They all, of course, as you maybe would expect.
No disrespect to you. Gone.
You're talking to Bill Murray.
No, no, no. Yeah.
Yeah, no, no, Billy.
Yeah, he's yeah.
He's he's the leader of the team.
So he's he's truly, truly
a unique talent, and
it's just
a real privilege
to not only work with, just to know him
because he's unlike any human being I've ever met.
So I just have nothing but the greatest respect
and appreciation for Bill.
Well, my first my first congratulations is on Ghostbusters Afterlife,
which has been a huge success given the still the restrictions
that we were talking before and COVID and everything.
The fact that people
who have gone to the theaters ticket in America to go and see
Ghostbusters, you must be delighted with how people have responded to it so far.
Yeah, yeah, because there was always a big concern.
You know, getting to theater, will people come out, you know, with,
you know, every time you start to relax, there's a new variant. But
it's it was interesting that the budget, as my understanding,
was about half of what the 2016 budget,
so it made it a little bit more.
You know, what am I say,
available to be able to
to make its money and do well?
But people have turned out and I've met families
because it really is a family movie and who've seen it two or three times.
So it's a kind of thing that people enjoy
and, you know, go back again to see it.
But the fact that it's not streaming was a concern,
but it seems like it's doing well the way it is and very happy.
Yeah. And also, we're post-release now.
Wait, so we can basically talk about you guys returning
because I liked the fact that
for a lot of the marketing and they purposely didn't ever put you guys in.
It was really good that you guys did it before you, particularly again - Spoilers for
anyone watching, but it's been out for a little while
now that you have a couple of extra scenes.
You're the one that's in it. Maybe the most out of everybody.
That must've been excited for you.
Yeah, it was.
Well, you know, I think it's probably pretty well known
that were coming into the whole Ghostbuster universe and
the first movie, especially there was some,
some issues that I sort of had to kind of wrestle with.
And Jason Reitman directing this movie,
I think he just sort of gave Winston a moment which I felt
wasn't in the first two movies, and that meant a lot to me
just in terms of the character.
one of the things that when the first movie came out,
especially, I would go around to schools and the little kids,
small kids and make them honorary Ghostbusters.
And and I talked to them about the question they would always
ask is where does Winston go?
And at first I didn't understand it, but I began to realize that there was no,
you know, Winston didn't have to have a family.
There's no information about him personally.
And so the new movie Jason [Reitman, director] sort of gave him
sort of a foundation that
for me personally, is really important.
Yeah, it was nice to have him have those moments because we know,
you know, we've seen that you said about, you know, Bill Bill being Bill.
He's He was, you know, the star and everyone.
But you because it's my understanding
watching the documentary, which also talking about
and I'm I saw the documentary maybe two and a half years ago
because I'm a good friend of Claire [Bueno], and they showed me a very early cut
and it was like the longest version they'd put away.
And I just sat there for two and a half hours, just in awe of just
the work that went into the movie, but also all the secrets
I never knew about and about.
Who knew who, you know, Eddie,
Eddie Murphy's name and obviously John Belushi and all these other people
that may have been part of it and it chow it changed everything else.
So we get to kind of full circle with Winston must be, you know, as you said,
it must be a very touching moment now that you've been able to kind of give
the character a little bit of the backstory
that maybe was missing in the in the first two.
Yeah, I think so.
It's I mean, it's movie for almost 40 years been, you know,
a big part of my life.
I mean, I've worked and done a lot of other work. So
but in
terms of just people on the street audiences,
probably 80% of the people
come up to me will reference Ghostbusters. So,
yeah, it was it was it was it was important it was nice to sort of
resolve some issues within my myself about it
that I had already had put in place.
And Ivan Reitman and I we we've had long discussions about it,
but it was nice to see Winston have a moment.
Those are nice and Ghostbusters Afterlife that not
every second not to spoil anything, but you didn't
have to be covered in anything because you know
the first one is or the marshmallow and the second one is all the purple goo.
And this one, you get to wear a business suit.
It's nice.
Yeah, it was.
It was fun, too.
It was fun for me to do to find out what's happened to Winston,
you know, over the years and to see the,
you know, the story go in that direction.
So I was very, very happy.
Number one, just to come back and see the guys and and be a part of this,
the new one to meet the new cast who truly are amazing.
But yeah, to to see to find out
what's happened to Winston over over the years, this past.
Yeah.
And again, I don't want to spoil anything for anyone,
but there is a very touching tribute
to Harold, and I have to say it's it's so well done
when when Jason kind of told you
the plan because he's, you know, Egon's kind of
on the outskirts of the
story, he kind of leads into the story as to where it goes in the new one.
How how delighted were you when he told you what the plan was
and then when you saw it executed, you guys must have been so, so proud.
Yeah, no.
I don't know how the other guys, I'm sure they they did.
I can't tell
how many people have come up to me who've seen the movie who said there.
They're in tears.
They cried.
I mean men, women, kids.
I mean,
Harold Ramis's character Egon was so loved.
I mean, even years after people would come up and offer me
their condolences because they knew that I know him and it worked with him.
So for them to to do it the way that Jason did
and it was just it was very beautiful that I read the script,
obviously, and I had an idea,
but I really didn't see it until it was.
I saw the movie and saw how he executed and the way it was done.
It was, yeah, it was very it was very, very nice to them.
And I think the fans needed that, you know?
So it was
very, I think in the 2016 movie because it was a different
universe is something they tried to acknowledge.
But I think the way Jason did and natural light to
to give Harold that
that sendoff, you know, his character was very special.
Yeah.
And in terms of you retrospectively, when you
when you look back at the first film, are you still kind of shocked
as to how it was received and how it got on top of his life?
Because I can imagine for you as an actor, it was one of the first
and the biggest kind of things that you've done.
Obviously,
I know you've done stuff before then, but it seemed to catch on very quick
and it was one of those which people don't understand these days.
But films would stay in the box office and number one for months and months,
which doesn't really happen anymore.
So that looking back, you must be still kind of pinching yourself as to just that.
It was successful because it could have gone the other way.
It could have gone the other way.
But I think I had probably no doubts that it would be successful.
I mean, not.
I think we were pretty confident, pretty cocky.
You know, that we had something special.
So when it came
out number one, that didn't surprise me when it lasted for a while
with lasted quite a while , actually at the top of the box office.
And it was a little surprising.
But I really like the movie I thought was very unique and different,
and so that didn't surprise you.
What surprised me was a year after
that, people were still singing the song.
I think Ray Parker's song did a lot to.
I mean that, and the film
just sort of all kind, of course, coalesced and came together.
So but when it went to five and ten years after it, that was really unusual.
I've done a lot of movies and
fans of like them, but we all move on.
But Ghostbusters 15, 20 years, that was surprising.
25 years, I'm like, OK.
And then the 30 year anniversary, and
I can't remember where I was, but guys showed up.
Maybe it was in Atlanta at that DragonCon,
and we must have had
ten Ectomobiles
must have been 100 guys in their jumpsuits.
That was pretty amazing.
I mean, their backpacks and their kids and the the real to me
wonderful thing about. Is it is a family movie, a transient generation,
so you see grandparents loving the movie laughing, having memories tied to movie
and little kids being introduced, and they love the movie
so that there aren't many movies that kind of.
Does that where everybody kind of get something from it and can enjoy it?
I was talking to one couple recently who spend their Christmas movie every year
since the movie came out.
That's the one movie they get around to watch.
So that was a surprise to me that it has
lasted has become part of the consciousness.
I mean, certainly the Ghostbusters symbol is probably one of the best known,
you know, recognizable maybe in the world. So
and so that was very it was very nice.
And actually, it forced me to revisit it and kind of go, really?
Let me go back and take a take a look at this movie.
And it's a it's a it's
the first one to me is just a perfect little film,
quirky and fun and interesting,
but I've grown to appreciate it over the years and really a large part
due to the fact that fans have just embraced the movie.
Yeah, something I've always wanted to have a chance to interview,
which I'm delighted to say that I have to ask
you was the line at the end of the film that you say, I love this town?
Was that a scripted line?
Was it scripted as to how you would say it?
Or was that pure you that you'd said to maybe to Ivan and to Dan
and Harold, if we're going to make this the end of the film?
This is how I think it should.
I should do it. Well, OK.
I don't know if I've never said this before, but coming into the movie
and after the changes were made,
which is very frustrating to me, the script changed a lot.
I've said it didn't change that much, but in my mind it changed a lot.
So but I think the guys, Bill Murray, Dan [Aykroyd[, Harold - were very aware of me
being there and and not wanting me to be sort of cut out.
So we did the the scene on the rooftop and Sigourney Weaver and Rick Moranis
returning, coming out of the dog
trance
and we're pulling the, you know, the stuff off with it coming out of it.
But and everybody seemed to be having something to do.
I felt a little awkward and I think the guys felt that.
And so I think it was maybe Bill. Oh,
we were kind of walking away, and
I think Billy was with Sigourney and
Danny was with Rick, sort of.
And I was sort of there and I think it was
Bill and said, Ernie should say something.
And so I don't know who came up with, I love this town,
but it was just sort of,
I think them sort of making sure that I was included.
The guys were always very inclusive and in some ways, protective
was the studio's choices that I always had issues with.
But the guys?
You know, they
they always
wanted to make sure that Winston was indeed a part of part of the team.
Yeah, I always like even though you put your hands, I love to some reason
I'm sure fans would say the same when you clap your hands together as well.
That kind of makes it even better.
It makes that side even better.
The way you perform, it is just so good that it just keeps
you on such a great feeling. At the end of that film, I have to say it's
all things
that I say, Yeah, I mean, because, you know, the thought was,
the guys are kind of improvizational and comedians to some extent,
and I consider myself an actor who can also, you know?
to be funny if I need to.
But so whatever is given, you want to make sure
that you make it your own and certainly Winston was.
It was an interesting character for me because
I think I I think I think it was one of the characters
that I felt more internally than I think physically.
Sometimes it works the other way around.
So. So, yeah, so
you take if they were kind enough to make sure
that I was given a moment, you want to make sure that you deliver it.
You don't want a
great funny line and you do it and it's not funny.
You know, that's like the word.
So if you're going to have the train run over you at the railroad,
you know, drag, then you want to make sure that
that you maximize the moment.
And so now, you know, all these years later,
fans will come up with any number of lives that Winston
had that they still quote .
And that's. That's
really, I think, a tribute to the guys,
like I said, I always made sure that
Winston was part of the team. Yeah.
And just finally, before I before I let you go
because I know it's very early where you are quite late, very off and on. So
obviously there's the
some scenes in Afterlife life that suggest we may see you again.
Have there been any early talks of maybe are they waiting to see how it
kind of performs and everything else before they maybe suggest maybe there's
another one?
Well, to be to be had here?
Well, you know, I'm always the last guy who knows anything.
The fans actually know where the fans tell me about what's going on.
They don't really
go online, a lot of that, but they have the and social media site.
I don't have a clue.
But what I have heard, they're working on
a new script.
And so whatever the future is, I've not heard
that not necessarily included, but
I know that
Jason and I talked about it and I know that he was.
Just very, very happy.
Jason is kind of a.
You know, I think when you work on something, Ghostbusters, he was a kid.
When we're doing the
the other movie, him and Violet
Ramis was always sort of around it.
So he kind of feels like family.
I was so proud of him when he got into
directing and actually, you know, established his career.
And then we took over the this the Ghostbusters thing.
But but I've always felt very close to him whenever I've seen him.
So I think it was important for him to let me know that
Winston is really an important part of the Ghostbusters universe.
And so whatever that means, in future films, we'll we'll wait to be seen. But
I know that
said that Winston is is
very important to him.
Now, if that turns out to be,
if there are other Ghostbusters and Winston is there,
certainly.
You know, the possibilities are very strong
that Winston will be included in some way, you know?
And also, I think Winston is a guy who
who really.
Enjoys
this weird thing that's going on around it.
The other guys were kind of they were interested and they were
I was kind of their world, but Winston was like, I think a bit
fascinated by the whole thing.
So I think
I think a lot of the fans saw
this universe through Winston's eyes
that so yeah, so it's a good possibility to be included.
I certainly would.
You know, I'd love to.
But in this business, anybody take anything for granted?
Yes, indeed.
It's an absolute pleasure for me to have a chat with you.
Thank you so, so much for your time.
Honestly, it's been wonderful to talk to you.
Well, the pleasure's mine. Thank you for taking the time.
I'm it's I'm so happy that you enjoyed this movie.
And yeah, I'm just so honored to be a part of it.
So take good care and and we say, just keep on busting.