Scarlett Johansson Thinks Bill Murray Was 'Humbled' by Allegations Against Him

I won’t act like there aren’t people I don’t want to see redeemed. Louis CK is up there. The comedian committed several horrible acts, lied about them with one hand, made them part of one of his movies with the other, and then finally admitted wrongdoing. Then, after years of him facing little punishment (he’s not making television shows or movies anymore, but he’s still selling out venues), knobs like Bill Maher are calling for him to be forgiven and accepted back into the fold like he’s been living some hard life of exile.

That being said, some people already welcomed Louis back happily. They’ve gone to see him in shows, possibly not knowing or caring about the accusations against him. There’s a chance they found it easier to forgive him in their minds because of their attachment to his work (or perhaps they also forced women to watch them masturbate and found a new sympathetic figure, idk). As with people we actually know, having a history can make it easier to give someone the benefit of the doubt, as Scarlett Johansson does with Bill Murray.

Murray and Johansson are not strangers. The two starred in Lost in Translation together, which was a breakout role for Johansson. Despite helping launch her career into new territories, it wasn’t the easiest movie to make. As she recently explained to Vanity Fair, Murray was much of the reason why. “Bill was in a hard place,” she explained to the outlet. “Everybody was on tenterhooks around him, including our director and the full crew, because he was dealing with his … stuff.” That’s a very kind way of saying “he was being Bill Murray.” The man has a history of being difficult on set, especially toward women, which came to a head in recent years.

Aziz Ansari’s directorial debut was shelved midway through production thanks to Murray’s inappropriate behavior toward a female crew member. Despite years of being an insufferable person to work with, this was the proverbial straw. Johansson thinks it may have inspired a change in Murray, which makes sense. I’d also have a change of heart if I essentially became radioactive to producers, insurers, and stars (oh my). “He’s such a different person now,” she noted. “I think life has humbled him.”

Johansson did specify that she thinks Murray’s comeuppance from Ansari’s movie affected him, while admitting, “That was really bad.” But she also notes that other things have led to his change as well. “I also know COVID was a hard thing for him. Life — all these things have led up to him being held accountable for that kind of behavior,” Johansson added. “But you know what? How wonderful that people can change.” She’s not wrong, but I do think it’s a case-by-case basis.

Yes, someone who he was once a dick to is happy to see him humbled, but what about … everybody else? Do Lucy Liu or Geena Davis get a say in all of this? I’d assume the crew member he behaved inappropriately toward wouldn’t want to see him waltzing onto set, no matter how much work he’s done on himself. But does that mean he shouldn’t be allowed to work with people willing to have him on set? Do we just take Scarlett Johansson’s word for it? I don’t have the right answer, but I also don’t know if there is one.