Charlie's Angels (2000) Crew Member Details Bill Murray & Lucy Liu Set Fight

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https://www.themarysue.com/charlies-...mber-conflict/

The Charlie’s Angels films are beloved gems of the action genre. An adaptation of the classic TV series pitched by producing partners Drew Barrymore and Nancy Juvonen, the film series brought together Drew Barrymore, Cameron Diaz, and Lucy Liu as a crime-fighting trio of best friends. Avid fans of the film series or film trivia in general are aware of the rumors that have circulated for years that Bill Murray, the first film’s Bosley, did not get along with Lucy Liu, which led to him being replaced for the film’s sequel (Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle) by the late, great Bernie Mac.

The reports detailing what exactly happened have varied, but recently, a viral tweet prompted a former crew member to speak up and provide their account of what happened on set. The viral tweet in question contained a screenshot of an article about the incident, alleging that Murray had interrupted a take to insult Liu’s acting, to which Liu supposedly responded by attempting to physically fight back before the two were separated.

The crew member who came forward in response to this tweet, Shaun O’Banion, is credited on IMDB as a production assistant on the film. O’Banion now works as a producer and runs his own production company. O’Banion tweeted the following:

The differences in O’Banion’s account from the general narrative that had been floating around beforehand reveal many of the same harmful dynamics that have been increasingly exposed in Hollywood misconduct.

Far too often, those who stand up for themselves or come forward to expose misconduct and discrimination in the workplace, general toxicity, or even the more extreme cases of things like sexual harassment, coercion, or assault are not protected by the corporate infrastructures of Hollywood. They’re often labeled “difficult,” with the stories told about such incidents painting them as the villains.

This happens with everything from interpersonal and professional issues to harassment and assault. Multiple actresses that came forward against Harvey Weinstein were discovered to have had their careers sabotaged by him. Peter Jackson came forward after Harvey Weinstein was exposed for sexual harassment and assault, to say that Ashley Judd and Mira Sorvino had both been in the running in the late 1990s for the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Jackson further claims to have been discouraged from working with the actresses by Miramax Films. Both Judd and Sorvino were some of the first actresses to come forward with allegations against Weinstein.

When the people who refuse to put up with misconduct in the industry—or the world at large—are from marginalized groups (women, BIPOC, LGBT+, etc.), the risks of being negatively impacted by the retaliatory tendencies of the status quo are even greater. When John Boyega gave an impassioned speech at a Black Lives Matter rally in London’s Hyde Park, he outright acknowledged the professional risks of making a public declaration against institutionalized racism and police brutality: “I’m speaking to you from my heart. Look, I don’t know if I’m going to have a career after this, but **** that.”

At the time of filming Charlie’s Angels, Lucy Liu was mostly known for her work on television, with main cast billing on a one-season sitcom called Pearl before a significant run as Chinese-American lawyer Ling Woo on Ally McBeal. Bill Murray, on the other hand, was already a well-established performer in Hollywood, from his 1977–1980 tenure on Saturday Night Live, after which he began a successful film career. That power imbalance made it dangerous for Liu to stand up for herself at all, with the public narrative about the incident unsurprisingly making Liu look bad.

It’s disturbing to have heard, for the last twenty years, a narrative of Lucy Liu retaliating against a rude and unprofessional costar with physical violence, only to have someone who was working on set during this incident claim that Murray’s unprofessional behavior was even worse than what had originally been rumored, and that the incident actually ended with Liu running away crying.

The filmmaking process is collaborative. It’s not unheard of for actors to provide input on how their character should be or adjust lines through discussions with the director. However, going over the heads of your bosses to force a rewrite without communicating with the director, producers, or your costars is the antithesis of collaboration. It is symptomatic of an unchecked ego run amok.

A different Charlie’s Angels actor provides a perfect example of providing input to change something through collaboration and effective communication. Actor Crispin Glover appeared in both Charlie’s Angels and Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle as the Thin Man. Glover has shared in interviews how he felt that the original dialogue for the character was terrible and needless exposition. He pitched to McG that the character should instead be silent, and McG agreed with his suggestion.

If Lucy Liu didn’t already have her costars—one of whom was also a main producer of the film—the director, and the rest of the crew on her side, this experience could have easily escalated into another case of an innocent person being retaliated against professionally to the point of significant career derailment. Charlie’s Angels is now regarded as the stylish, trailblazing classic that it should be. All three of the lead actresses are still friends and even had a reunion in 2020, on Drew Barrymore’s inaugural episode of her talk show.

Fortunately for Liu and all of her adoring fans, after Charlie’s Angels, she went on to appear in more films, television series, and is set to appear as the villain Kalypso in the upcoming DCEU film Shazam! Fury of the Gods. Still, it is important for people to continue to be proactive in condemning misconduct and toxicity in the workplace, to not buy into smear campaigns against talent who come forward about it, and for the industry to put forth meaningful changes in their infrastructure to encourage more harmonious work environments.

Drew Barrymore and Nancy Juvonen standing up for their talent and replacing Bill Murray for the sequel is exactly what the industry needs more of. We also need more people like Shaun O’Banion to come forward and give an honest account of professional misconduct, especially when it is perpetuated by people established enough in the industry to think they can get away with it without any repercussions.

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Lucy Liu Opened Up About Clashing with Bill Murray on the Charlie's Angels Set

Kimberly Truong
Tue, July 27, 2021, 8:19 AM

Lucy Liu is opening up about the rumors of her clash with Bill Murray on the set of Charlie's Angels.

After a crew member from the film detailed their own account of the long-rumored altercation between the actors earlier this month, the L.A. Times asked Liu about the confrontation.

Though the actress told the outlet, "I feel like some of those stories are private," she explained that the cast had a scene rehearsal that Murray was not part of because he had to attend a family gathering. Once he came back for the scene, she said, Murray began to "sort of hurl insults."

"I won't get into the specifics, but it kept going on and on," she said. "I was, like, 'Wow, he seems like he's looking straight at me.' I couldn't believe that [the comments] could be towards me, because what do I have to do with anything majorly important at that time? I literally do the look around my shoulder thing, like, who is he talking to behind me? I say, 'I'm so sorry. Are you talking to me?' And clearly he was, because then it started to become a one-on-one communication."

"Some of the language was inexcusable and unacceptable, and I was not going to just sit there and take it," she continued. "So, yes, I stood up for myself, and I don't regret it. Because no matter how low on the totem pole you may be or wherever you came from, there's no need to condescend or to put other people down. And I would not stand down, and nor should I have."

Earlier this month, a viral tweet alleging that Liu threw punches at Murray prompted Shaun O'Banion, who is listed as a production assistant on the film, to speak out. O'Banion said that "no punches were thrown," and that "I love Bill Murray (and had worked with him before), but what he said to her was totally uncalled for."

"He later apologized though not entirely sincerely imho," he wrote.

"I remember years later, maybe even decades later, some crew members that I didn't even know at the time came up to me on other sets and told me that they were there at the time and they were really grateful that I did that," Liu told L.A. Times. "I have nothing against Bill Murray at all. I've seen him since then at a SNL reunion, and he came up to me and was perfectly nice. But I'm not going to sit there and be attacked."

Liu also recalled that at the time, "what came out in the press was that I was this and I was that. It was incredible to me how it was turned around and they automatically thought that the woman was the difficult one."

"But I didn't understand how it got flipped when I had nothing to do with instigating it or creating that platform of confrontation or anxiety," she added. "So even though it's been decades, it's something that obviously I remember very intimately and have not forgotten."

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Bill Murray apparently, didn’t even really want to do the movie in the first place. He turned it down multiple times, but the studio desperately wanted him and kept throwing money at him until it became impossible to say no. Drew Barrymore and Cameron Diaz, were involved early on, but Lucy Liu was a late addition.

They originally wanted Angelina Jolie as the third Angel, but she turned it down. It was then offered it to a bunch of other actresses (including Thandie Newton) before finally landing on Lucy, who got the role after heavily campaigning for it.

So between somebody who is already renowned for being a "hot and cold" personality type like Bill Murray not really wanting to be there and Lucy Liu being a perceived as an also ran who was desperate to be there, it shouldn't be surprising they inevitably clashed.

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Drew Barrymore backs Lucy Liu up, says Bill Murray was in a 'bad mood' before blow-up fight on set of Charlie's Angels



https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/...204036640.html

Drew Barrymore is weighing in on Lucy Liu and Bill Murray's infamous blowup on the set of their 2000 movie Charlie's Angels.

On her eponymous talk show Tuesday, Barrymore shared recollections about making the film, which she also produced, and the bond she shares with co-stars Liu and Cameron Diaz, who remain close friends. It led to her revealing how she reached out to Liu in July after Liu confirmed the blowup in a Los Angeles Times interview.

"I did this whole video and sent it to her to back her up and she was like, ‘Nah, I don’t need it,'" Barrymore said of Liu.

Guest Danny Pellegrino asked what really happened during the disagreement and Barrymore said she'd "spill the tea."

"Bill was just in a — you know, comedians can be a little dark sometimes — and he just came in in a bad mood," she explained. "What you have to know is how much Lucy stood up for herself. That was the great thing that came out of an unfortunate circumstance. She literally said, ‘I do not accept that kind of behavior from you.’ And we all supported her and backed her up and we moved forward."

Pellegrino asked if Murray — who played Bosley to the trio of angels Natalie (Diaz), Dylan (Barrymore) and Alex (Liu) — was just acting out toward everyone or Liu specifically as it played out. She said it was "general," but then he "zeroed in on" Liu.

Barrymore went on to say, "I respected [Liu] then, I respect her now. I am proud of us as a team and a company that we didn’t tiptoe on the eggshells. We dealt with it right then and there, we were strong and we moved forward and we didn’t accept anything less moving forward."

Barrymore agreed that Liu was an action hero on screen in the film but a superhero in real life amid the drama.

"She really was," Barrymore said.

The story about the Liu-Murray blowout on the set circulated for years — but it was resurrected in July when Shaun O'Banion, who said he was a production assistant on the film, tweeted about what he allegedly saw go down. In short, he said Murray insulted Liu, calling her just a TV actress, in front of the whole cast and crew.

Liu broke her silence in the Asian Enough podcast. The Ally McBeal alum said part of a scene was reworked, not by her, over a weekend, and Murray couldn't be there for rehearsals. When it came time to shoot, "Bill starts to sort of hurl insults, and I won't get into the specifics, but it kept going on and on. I was, like, 'Wow, he seems like he's looking straight at me.' I couldn't believe that [the comments] could be towards me, because what do I have to do with anything ... ? I literally do the look around my shoulder thing, like, who is he talking to behind me? I say, 'I'm so sorry. Are you talking to me?' And clearly he was, because then it started to become a one-on-one communication."

She continued, "Some of the language was inexcusable and unacceptable, and I was not going to just sit there and take it. So, yes, I stood up for myself, and I don't regret it. Because no matter how low on the totem pole you may be or wherever you came from, there's no need to condescend or to put other people down. And I would not stand down, nor should I have."

Murray didn't comment, but in 2009 he told the Times of London (via Entertainment Weekly), "Look, I will dismiss you completely if you are unprofessional and working with me. … When our relationship is professional, and you’re not getting that done, forget it."

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What Drew Barrymore Had To Say About Lucy Liu's Feud With Bill Murray

BY JESSICA CHOI/OCT. 23, 2022 10:44 AM EDT

Lucy Liu's feud with Bill Murray during the filming of "Charlie's Angels" was one of the biggest to go down in Hollywood. Following production, rumors started flying about bad blood between Liu and Murray while on-set. As reported by ET Canada, production assistant Shaun O'Banion confirmed those rumors and gave an account of what happened on Twitter. O'Banion explained that Murray had rewritten some scenes from the script, which angered the director, as well as Liu. Murray then insulted Liu and the two started hurling insults at each other.

Almost a decade after "Charlie's Angels," Liu told her side of the story on the "Asian Enough" podcast. Liu explained that the cast had to rework a scene and shared, "As we're doing the scene, Bill starts to sort of hurl insults, and I won't get into the specifics, but it kept going on and on. I was, like, 'Wow, he seems like he's looking straight at me.'" Liu described Murray's language as "inexcusable and unacceptable," and stood up for herself. "I don't regret it," she said of the incident. Following the podcast, one of Liu's "Charlie's Angels" co-stars weighed in on the drama with Murray.

Drew Barrymore had Lucy Liu's back

Drew Barrymore opened up about Lucy Liu's feud with Bill Murray during an October 2021 episode of "The Drew Barrymore Show." She explained that following Liu's public take on what went down on the "Charlie's Angels" set, she sent her co-star a video that fully supported her but Liu had said, "Nah, I don't need it." Barrymore went on to explain that Murray was already in a "bad mood" when he lashed out at Liu. "[What] you have to know is how much Lucy stood up for herself and that was the great thing that came out of an unfortunate circumstance. She literally said, 'I do not accept that kind of behavior from you.' And we all supported her and backed her up and we moved forward," Barrymore stated.

Murray previously gave his take on his feud with Liu during a 2009 interview. "Look, I will dismiss you completely if you are unprofessional and working with me .... When our relationship is professional, and you're not getting that done, forget it," he told TLS (via Entertainment Weekly). Since their spat, Liu has claimed that she and Murray are cordial, but the "Groundhog Day" actor was notably absent from the "Charlie's Angels" sequel.

Bill Murray was replaced in Charlies Angels: Full Throttle

"Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle" had a completely different "Bosley" for the 2003 sequel, with Bernie Mac replacing Bill Murray as the Angels' handler. Apparently, Lucy Liu wasn't the only one on-set with whom Murray clashed. "Charlie's Angels" director McG told The Guardian that Murray had head-butted him. "An inch later and my nose would have been obliterated," he stated.

Murray refuted McG's claims in an interview with TLS. "That's bull***t! That's complete crap! I don't know why he made that story up. He has a very active imagination ... No! He deserves to die! He should be pierced with a lance, not head-butted," he cried (via Entertainment Weekly).

"Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle" received dismal reviews, and the franchise ended with the second film. Hollywood tried to revive the franchise with a 2019 reboot, which was also a box office flop, per Variety. Despite the negative reviews, Drew Barrymore's open to shooting a third "Charlie's Angels" film. "I would do it in a heartbeat. The answer is an emphatic yes. I will always say yes," she stated on her podcast, "Drew's News" (via People). Barrymore seems hopeful about the future of "Charlie's Angels." Perhaps third time's the charm!

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Lucy Liu reacts to hearing complaints about Bill Murray's alleged bad behavior on sets: 'I felt sad that it happened to other people'

The two worked together on 2000 movie "Charlie's Angels."