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Lucy Liu Offers More Details About Standing Up To Bill Murray's Bullying During 'Charlie's Angels'

By Andrew Sanford | News | January 14, 2025 |

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Header Image Source: Sony Pictures Entertainment

Just yesterday I wrote a story about an incredibly talented actor not getting his due despite boasting an impressive career. The reason? Racism and xenophobia. Unfortunately, those kinds of stories are all too common and things will likely get worse before they get better. It’s important to share when a story about someone standing up to a bully, despite knowing they are in a position where protecting themselves may damage their career, starts making the rounds. And Lucy Liu just offered one.

The breadth of Lucy Liu’s career is incredible. She has starred in several hit television shows. Her legacy as a movie star is more than solidified, and still going strong. Liu hosted MadTV and Saturday Night Live in the same year and I genuinely want to know if anyone else has done that (but I refuse to look it up, so we’re going to say it’s a Lucy Liu-only accomplishment). The actress’s bonafides are without question and that was the case in 2000, so it only makes sense that she clapped back at Bill Murray when he tried to bully her.

Hi. Hello. It is me once again telling you that I have complicated feelings toward Murray as I grew up loving him and now have to reckon with the a**hole that he is (and clearly always has been). I love Ghostbusters and Murray is as tied to that as one can be. It’s one of the last things he has left, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he ends up involved in the recently announced animated movie, something he wouldn’t have touched before he was officially labeled bad for business. I’ll likely never get an opportunity to tell Murray how I feel face-to-face so I’ll have to revel in stories of the people who have.

Liu and Murray worked together in the first Charlie’s Angels film 25 years ago (crumbles to dust). It’s no secret that Murray berated Liu on the set of the film, but now, Liu is opening up about why she didn’t feel like taking his s***. “I really didn’t think about it. I would have done that in any situation,” she explained to The Guardian. “I think when I sense something is not right, I am going to protect myself. It’s an innate thing to do if you feel there’s injustice, and I always feel that way.” Hell yes, Lucy Liu.

Not only did Liu stand up to Murray but she also talked about how she didn’t have an issue standing up for herself in general and how she wasn’t shy about not playing into Hollywood’s bulls***. “If I was, it would have been a much easier road,” Liu said. “But because I’ve never been that person, we had to find a way. I think there has never been an easy road, for me and for [other Asian American actors] — it’s a group effort. I would never take credit. My career has not been paved by myself.”

It isn’t always easy for people like Liu to stand up for themselves. Doing so is inspiring as hell.