Bill Murray's Reason for Joining the Ghostbusters Remake Will Melt Your Heart

The actor appeared in the original 1984 version of the film

By Samantha Schnurr Jun 09, 2016 12:29 PMTags

For anyone who doubts the promise of an all-female Ghostbusters reboot, listen carefully to Bill Murray

As one of the actors of the 1984 original, the comedian had been reluctant to join new additions to the franchise. However, he revealed the one reason why he joined the cast of this upcoming remake despite turning down a handful of previous pitches. 

"It was only because I knew these girls were funny," he told late-night host Jimmy Kimmel as he sat among the four new leads, Kristen WiigMelissa McCarthy, Kate McKinnon, and Leslie Jones. The remark pinched a heartfelt nerve in the audience considering the backlash the women have faced regarding the idea of an all-female cast for the beloved horror comedy. Despite the unrelenting criticism on social media, the actor insists these ladies carry the film home. 

read
Melissa McCarthy on Ghostbusters Reboot Haters: "I Just Hope They Find a Friend"
Twitter

"When you see the film—and you'll delight in the film...it sort of rumbles along in the beginning. You're going, 'Oh, God, are they going to pull this thing off?'" he describes. "There is no quit in these girls."

The veteran actor knows that remaking such a classic was not going to be a simple feat, particularly without the original cast in its original roles. 

"This is a tough movie to pull off because it's a big concept. There's a lot on the plate. There's a lot of expectation," he admitted. However, he insists the four ladies passed with flying colors. 

"Danny [Aykroyd] and I and Annie [Potts] and Ernie [Hudson] were just screaming, cheering like we were at a sporting event at the end of it."

YouTube

As for the actresses at the receiving end of these compliments—many of them avid fans of the originals—making this film marks a special moment in their careers. 

"When I wake up from my fever dream and this isn't real, I'm gonna be bummed," McCarthy quipped. 

Meanwhile, the Golden Globe nominee has one thing to say to those Internet trolls who continually bash the women behind their computer screens. 

"One minute after they type that, their mom's like 'Get upstairs and take out the garbage. You're 45 years old.'"

photos
Movie Remakes