backstage drama

What About That Time Bill Murray Threw an Ashtray at Richard Dreyfuss?

Photo: Theo Wargo/Getty Images

Oh, that wacky Bill Murray! Always doing kooky shit like crashing house parties and disinviting Anjelica Huston to dinner. Bill Murray accumulates stories about his (good and very, very bad) behavior like a Katamari Damacy ball of conflict, and Richard Dreyfuss has come to add his contribution. Speaking to Yahoo, Dreyfuss recounted a moment during filming of What About Bob? where things got violent: “He came back from dinner [one night] walked in and I said, ‘Read this [script tweak], I think it’s really funny.’ And he put his face next to me, nose-to-nose. And he screamed at the top of his lungs, ‘Everyone hates you! You are tolerated!’” While “You are tolerated!” is an excellent burn, Dreyfuss says Murray then chucked an ashtray at him. That’s less cute. “He threw it at my face,” Dreyfuss said. “And it weighed about three quarters of a pound. And he missed me. He tried to hit me. I got up and left.” An ashtray to the noggin is no joke; that’s how Lilly Kane died!

Richard Dreyfuss Says Bill Murray Threw an Ashtray at Him