Bill Murray Opens Up About Bruce Willis’ ‘Insane’ SNL Job—And How They Became Lifelong Friends!
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In a heartfelt appearance on Watch What Happens Live! this Monday, Bill Murray took a trip down memory lane, recalling Bruce Willis’ early days working as a page at Saturday Night Live before becoming one of Hollywood’s biggest stars. Murray, 77, shared a fascinating anecdote about the Die Hard actor’s “insane” job, which involved a very humble task of refilling M&Ms and pretzels in the dressing rooms of SNL actors.
“Bruce Willis was a page at NBC when I was on Saturday Night Live,” Murray said during his conversation with host Andy Cohen. “This sounds like insane s–t, but his job was to come and go to the dressing rooms and refill the M&Ms and pretzels in the actors’ rooms.”
At the time, Willis, 70, was far from the international movie star he would later become. However, his fortunes changed dramatically when he landed the lead role in the hit TV series Moonlighting in 1986. His breakout role in Die Hard just two years later cemented his place in Hollywood history.
Despite his meteoric rise to fame, Willis has always remembered his early days at SNL. Murray recounted a touching moment when they reunited after Willis became a household name. “I remember when I met him after he was already a successful guy, he said, ‘You and Gilda [Radner] were nice to me,’” Murray revealed.
Willis would return to the SNL stage in 1989 and again in 2013, taking on the role of host. Their paths also crossed later in their careers when they starred together in the critically acclaimed Moonrise Kingdom (2012), directed by Wes Anderson.
Reflecting on their collaboration, Murray got visibly emotional, recalling the experience fondly. “Moonrise Kingdom was a really beautiful, lovely film. And I got to work with and have a wonderful time with [him],” he said. “Bruce Willis is a good guy, a good f–king guy. He was a good friend.”
The bond between the two stars has clearly endured over the years, with Murray’s words revealing the deep respect and admiration he has for Willis both as a friend and as a colleague.