Facebook Twitter Instagram
    • Services
    • Aircheck for Actors
    • Demo Reels
    • Audition Prep/Self-Tape Reader
    • Mailing Labels
    • Contribute
    • Industry Links
    • Advertise
    Daily Actor
    • Acting Tips
      • Actors on Acting
      • Advice Columns
      • Acting Quotes
      • Audition Tapes
      • How To Become An Actor
      • How to Memorize Lines
    • Monologues
      • Monologues from Plays
      • Monologues from Movies
      • Monologues from Musicals
      • Comedic Monologues
      • Dramatic Monologues
      • One Minute Monologues
      • Monologues for Women
      • Monologues for Men
      • Monologues for Teens
      • Monologues for Kids
      • All Monologues
    • Acting Resources
      • Acting Resume
        • Acting Resume Template
      • Acting Classes
        • Los Angeles Acting Classes
        • Las Vegas Acting Classes
        • San Diego Acting Classes
      • Acting Schools and Colleges
        • Los Angeles
        • New York
        • BFA Acting Schools
      • Casting Websites
      • Headshot Photographers
        • Los Angeles
        • New York City
        • Headshot Printing
      • Acting Techniques
        • What is Method Acting?
      • Stage Directions
      • Demo Reels: Everything You Need to Know
    • Interviews
      Featured
      Casting Director Interview - Brett Benner and Debby Romano

      Interview: Casting Directors Brett Benner and Debby Romano Talk ‘Shrinking’, Finding Actors and More

      Recent
      Casting Director Interview - Brett Benner and Debby Romano

      Interview: Casting Directors Brett Benner and Debby Romano Talk ‘Shrinking’, Finding Actors and More

      March 6, 2023
      Jeremy Davis Olaf in Frozen Interview

      Interview: Jeremy Davis on Playing Olaf in ‘Frozen’, Costume Mishaps and Making the Role His Own

      January 19, 2023
      Casting Director Kim Coleman Interview

      Interview: Casting Director Kim Coleman on ‘Five Days at Memorial’, Self-Tape Tips and Portraying Real People

      January 11, 2023
    • Actor Blogs
    • Reviews
      • Movies
      • Theater
      • Books
      • Products
    • Actor Services
      • Airchecks
      • Demo Reels
      • Website Design
      • Mailing Labels
    Daily Actor
    Home » Actors on Acting » Bill Murray talks ‘Hyde Park’, Improvising and Advice He Was Given as a Young Actor
    Actors on Acting

    Bill Murray talks ‘Hyde Park’, Improvising and Advice He Was Given as a Young Actor

    Erin KonradBy Erin KonradDecember 3, 2012Updated:September 16, 2018No Comments3 Mins Read
    Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email

    bill-murray-hyde-parkIt’s not like Bill Murray always imagined himself playing Franklin Roosevelt.

    When he was originally offered the role in Hyde Park on the Hudson, he thought, “Can this guy be serious?”  But in an interview with The New York Times, Murray admitted, “I wouldn’t have cast myself.  But this guy did, and about halfway through I went, ‘Wow, he really was right.’  Not to compare myself, but certain personality things were similar, like the way he tried to leaven things and move attention around a room, get everyone their little slice of the sun.”

    This similarity was one Murray picked up during his days doing improv theater in Chicago, before he began his career on Saturday Night Live. The experience of improvising “pays off in your life when you’re in an elevator and people are uncomfortable.  You can just say, ‘That’s a beautiful scarf.’  It’s just thinking about making someone else feel comfortable.  You don’t worry about yourself, because we’re vibrating together.  If I can make yours just a little bit groovier, it’ll affect me.  It comes back, somehow.”

    This way of seeing the world bleeds into all areas of Murray’s life.  “The more relaxed you are, the better you are at everything: the better you are with your loved ones, the better you are with your enemies, the better you are at your job, the better you are with yourself,” he said.  This zen attitude also aided in his preparation for playing Roosevelt.  “I’ve always tried to be a little bit loose,” Murray confessed. 

    Murray, also known for his roles in films like Ghostbusters and Lost in Translation, recalled advice he was given that has helped him with his acting endeavors.  “This great director we had at Second City [Del Close] said: ‘You wear your characters like a trench coat.  It’s still you in there, but there’s like a trench coat.’  So I figured this was like a winter trench coat, because there was just a little bit more character that comes to the party.  So I did a lot more reading, a lot more studying.”

    There were many obvious challenges that Murray faced when taking on the role of the much-beloved president.  Roosevelt’s voice and mannerisms were very distinctive, but Murray and the director ultimately “had a discussion about it, and we agreed that you don’t want to do an impression.  You want to get it in you, and then you want to play.”

    The actor is already receiving rave reviews for his portrayal of the president, meaning he’ll probably be adding this role to a long list of memorable parts.  Murray admitted he’s still surprised by how much his movies have resonated with audiences.

    “When you did the job, you thought you were just trying to amuse your friends who are all on the job,” Murray said.  “I’m just trying to make the sound guy laugh, the script supervisor.  A movie like Caddyshack, I can walk on a golf course, and some guy will be screaming entire scenes at me and expecting me to do it word for word with him.  It’s like: ‘Fella, I did that once.  I improvised that scene.  I don’t remember how it goes.’  But I’m charmed by it.  I’m not like, ‘Hey, knock it off.’  It’s kind of cool.”

    Hyde Park on the Hudson opens in theaters December 7.

    Related

    Previous ArticleJudy Greer on Her Broadway Debut in ‘Dead Accounts’ and How Being Herself Has Made Her Successful
    Next Article Broadway Had Highest Grosses Ever for 2011-2012 Season, But Ticket Prices Continue to Rise

    Related Posts

    Jeremy Strong in Armageddon Time

    Jeremy Strong: “There’s infinite ways really to play any part. So you have to discover what feels necessary”

    March 14, 2023
    Christina Ricci

    How Christina Ricci Chooses Her Characters and Why She Loves ‘Yellowjackets’

    March 9, 2023
    Actor Sean Bean in Marriage

    Sean Bean on What Makes Acting So “Rewarding” and Why You “Can’t Wing” Emotional Scenes

    February 6, 2023
    Add A Comment

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Daily Actor Facebook Daily Actor Twitter Daily Actor Instagram Daily Actor Pinterest Daily Actor YouTube Page
    Popular Pages
    Become An Actor | Acting Tips | Acting Quotes
    Acting Resume | Resume Template
    Headshot Photographers
    Los Angeles | New York
    Print Your Headshots
    Acting Schools & Colleges
    Los Angeles | New York
    Monologues
    Movies | Plays | Comedic | Dramatic
    Men | Women | Teens | Kids
    • Contact
    • About
    • Advertise
    • Resource Listings
    • Write A Column
    • Contribute
    • Privacy Policy

    Disclaimer: Daily Actor at times uses affiliate links to sites like Amazon.com, streaming services, and others. Affiliate links provides compensation to Daily Actor which helps us remain online, giving you the resources and information actors like you are looking for.

    © 2023 Daily Actor

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.