Here’s one of my favorite stories about Bill Murray - Apparently he was alone in an elevator at a hotel when a guy got on and recognized him. The man stood uncomfortably quiet as the elevator descended to the lobby. Finally, the man looked over at Murray and said he was a fan and it was a pleasure to meet him. Bill just nodded and smiled and then continued to look forward. The fan looked rather apologetic and when the doors opened the fan walked sheepishly out of the elevator. Murray followed him to the entrance and walked right as his fan walked left. Then, suddenly, Bill Murray turned, ran toward the man and tackled him into a shrub. He sat up, pointed his finger at the man and said Your friends will never believe this happened! and then he ran off in that characteristic awkward-legged run Murray is known for.
There are more stories. Lots of them. Once when asked for an autograph, Murray refused. But he did spend the better part of the rest of the day with the young fan shooting a scene on the guys I-phone that he could show his friends and post on Facebook.
And there’s more. He tweeted he was in a certain city and if anybody was throwing a party he wanted to come. He then made appearances at several parties that night.
And for one young director named Wes Anderson, Murray agreed to star in his film for 9K, and even paid for a helicopter shot the director couldn’t afford. Murray literally wrote Anderson a check for 25k to cover the cost.
Why is Murray so cherished as an actor and a man? In my opinion, it’s because he’s creatively kind.
Of course, you and I are not famous. Nobody wants us to shoot a scene with them on their iPhone. But here are 3 ways common folks like you and me can be creatively kind:
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