There's definitely a lot of trash that comes with the prize of being famous. It's a nice gift, but there's a lot of wrapping and paper and junk to cut through. Back then, when a movie came out and people saw you on the street, their reaction was so supercharged that it was scary. It would frighten other people. It used to really rattle me. I mean, everybody would love to have their clothes torn off by a mob of girls, but being screamed at is different.
Interpretation
Fame comes with both rewards and challenges, often more complex than it appears.
In this quote, Bill Murray reflects on the dual nature of fame, acknowledging that while being famous can bring joy and admiration, it also involves a significant amount of unwanted attention and pressure. He points out that the experience of being recognized in public can be overwhelming, not just in terms of adoration but also because of the chaotic and sometimes frightening reactions from fans, which can detract from the enjoyment of fame.
In practice
During a speech at an awards ceremony, you might quote this to emphasize the complexities of celebrity life.
You know the theory of cell irritability? If you take an amoeba cell and poke it a thousand times, it will change and then re-form into its original shape. And then, the thousandth time you poke this amoeba, the cell will completely collapse and become nothing. That's kind of what it's like being famous. People say hi, how are you doing, and after the thousandth time, you just get angry; you really pop.
My first movie, I got nominated for a Canadian Oscar-for Meatballs. For MEATBALLS. And who am I up against? George C. Scott. So he wins the award and I stand up and go, 'That's it-let's get the hell outta here.'
Like: 'Don't walk out there with one hand in your pocket unless there's somethin' in there you're going to bring out.' You gotta commit. You've gotta go out there and improvise and you've gotta be completely unafraid to die. You've got to be able to take a chance to die. And you have to die lots. You have to die all the time.
Friendship is so weird. You just pick a human you've met and you're like, 'Yep, I like this one,' and you just do stuff with them.
Golf was my first glimpse of comedy. I was a caddy when I was a kid. I was on the golf course rather than being in lessons, but I can play better now than I could then.
I think midlife crisis is just a point where people's careers have reached some plateau and they have to reflect on their personal relationships.
I don't want to be a celebrity. I don't want to be in people's faces, you know, constantly on covers of magazine that I haven't even known I'm on.
I always thought I should be treated like a star.
Fame is fickle, and I know it. It has its compensations but it also has its drawbacks, and I've experienced them both.
Part of being famous is offering up this blank screen upon which people can project everything, and it's a sacred act, putting yourself out there, in a way that lots of celebrities aren't steeled for; they're not prepared for the degree to which people define them.
Being a movie star, and this applies to all of them, means being looked at from every possible direction. You are never left at peace, you're just fair game.
Being famous has changed a lot, because now there's so many outlets, between magazines, TV shows, and the Internet, for people to stalk and follow you. We created the monster.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.