Bill Murray Explains How ‘Ghostbusters’ Achieved The Seemingly Impossible Coup

The question of whether Bill Murray would appear in the Ghostbusters reboot was answered once and for all with news that Murray has agreed to be featured in a cameo role, even after Bill stated he would not return to Ghostbusters. While fans are not likely to like a gift horse in the mouth, the sudden contradiction has left many wondering what has been responsible for Bill’s change of heart.

“You know, they were incredibly nice to ask me, and I really enjoyed being there,” Murray said while screening his new film, Rock the Kasbah, in East Hampton, N.Y. “They have such a jolly group, and they are going to have great success with this project. I didn’t want to overshadow [them] or anything, and I feel really good about it.”

As Entertainment Weekly reports, Mr. Murray was intrigued be the idea of working with Kristen Wiig and Melissa McCarthy, so his interest in working with such talented actresses had a great deal to do with his return to the Ghostbusters franchise.

“I like those girls a lot,” Bill added. “I mean, I really do. They are tough to say no to. And Paul is a real nice fellow.”

The former Ghostbusters star said that he worried that his unwillingness to participate in the reboot might be misinterpreted as disapproval of the new Ghostbusters film and as Bill says, he wouldn’t want to negatively impact such a promising film.

“I thought about it for a very long time,” Murray said. “Like, many, many months. No, that’s not right. I was seriously thinking about this for years, really … It kept eating at me, and I really respect those girls. And then I started to feel like if I didn’t do this movie, maybe somebody would write a bad review or something, thinking there was some sort of disapproval [on my part].”

Diverging from Ghostbusters, Murray couldn’t end the interview with Vulture without reiterating his interest in working with another Hollywood legend, Jennifer Lawrence.

“That would be great,” said Murray of working with Ms. Lawrence on a future project. “I really like her. I mean, I only know her a little bit, but I’d love to work with her.”

Ghostbusters, starring Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, and Chris Hemsworth is scheduled for a July 15, 2016 theatrical release.

Rock the Kasbah, starring Bill Murray and Bruce Willis, hits theaters on October 23.

[Featured image: Bill Murray courtesy of Ian Walton/Getty Images for Laureus]