Key Takeaways
- Bill Murray says fame doesn’t make him happy in A Course Called Ireland, calling it "not easy" while acknowledging the joy of hearing his movies helped fans through rough times.
- Murray admits he's "not very pleasant" and rejects playing "nice-nice," joking that his behavior would earn him more "cuts and bruises" as an ordinary citizen.
- The six-part Paramount+ series follows Murray and author Tom Coyne golfing across Ireland, with guests including Chris O’Dowd, Joanne McNally and Jason Kelce.
Bill Murray has opened up about what it's like to walk a mile in his shoes — and he says it's "not easy."
The Ghostbusters star appears in new Paramount+ golf docuseries A Course Called Ireland, and in the fourth episode a crew member asked him if being famous makes him happy.
"In a word, no," Murray responded (via People), after a laugh. "It's not easy. I go through new revelations all the time about how I handle it and how to deal with it. It's not for everyone, but it has also brought me to this place, you know."
Murray made sure to point out that he does see an upside, though, adding that there's "a lot of goodwill out there" from fans who tell him one of his films got them laughing during a rough stretch, and hearing that feels great.
He also thinks celebrities get to choose their approach. "I think kind of famous people, they can decide that there's a certain way to play being famous, you know?" he said. Asked how he plays it himself, he admitted he's "not very pleasant."
He continued: "You can see that. I think just being nice-nice, I don't go for nice-nice. If I were like an ordinary citizen acting the way that I do, I'd probably have a lot more cuts and bruises."
The six-part series, made up of 30-minute episodes, premiered October 25 and is based on author Tom Coyne's book of the same name. It follows Murray and his friend Coyne as they golf their way across Ireland. Other guests on the show include Joel Murray, John Murray, Chris O'Dowd, Joanne McNally, and Jason Kelce.
According to Coyne, traveling with "one of the most recognizable faces in the world" slowed them down but let them meet lots of people. Jeff Sheehan, one of the locals narrating the series, put it bluntly: "Imagine being as famous as Bill for even an hour. It looks exhausting."
A Course Called Ireland is streaming now on Paramount+ and is also airing on BBC2 in the UK.
