'Get Low' Star Bill Murray Amuses Audience At SXSW
March 25th, 2010 8:33am EDT
Bill Murray made a public appearance at the Austin premiere of his latest film. Get Low, a comedy in which he plays a funeral director trying to plan a man’s funeral party while he’s still alive, screened at the South by Southwest film festival on March 17. On stage at a Q&A following the film, Murray mugged and joked with the thousands of people who saw Get Low for the first time.
“It’s really a pleasure to come out with this film, because Austin’s not a safe town for people like us,” Murray said. “When we come out with a film like this, we’ve got two or three hours where we’re safe and I thank you for that.”
Murray co-stars with Robert Duvall, as Felix Bush, the man who wants his funeral early, and Sissy Spacek as Mattie Darrow, Felix’s unrequited love. It is the first feature of director Aaron Schneider.
“It was a really nice piece of editing,” Murray said. “We really threw it out there on every take. It’s very easy to play it sort of straight, but with these actors you just sort of let go each time. Aaron was able to edit it. You can be funny in a take, you can do something but it’s really his work that chose the root of the performances.”
There are laughs along the way, as well as plenty of heart. “Really, I think the job of the humor is it kept the energy bouncing up until the final scene,” Murray said. “Where you’re going is you’re going to that scene with Sissy and Bob at the end and it’s worth the wait. If we were all heavy until then, it’d be kind of ugh. But, laughing on the way you’re sort of available for that scene and that’s what you want.”
As evidence of the film’s balance between humor and touching moments, Murray told the audience, “There are a couple of you I’d like to touch but most of you I’ll be hilarious for.”
Get Low is due this July.
See more photos from "Get Low" here!
Related: Bill Murray, Get Low, Robert Duvall, Sissy Spacek, Starpulse Exclusives, Interviews, Interviews
Photo Credits: Sony Pictures Classics
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