Recently, actor Bill Murray (74), who was slapped after forcibly kissing actress Naomi Watts (56) during a live broadcast, commented on a past sexual harassment settlement.

In an interview with The New York Times published on the 5th (local time), he spoke about the incident that occurred on the set of 'Being Mortal' in 2022, saying, "I did not touch her. I just kissed her wearing a mask."

He also noted that the experience still troubles him and that he learned a lesson.

He was accused of sexual harassment by a young female staff member in April 2022, and in October of that year, he reached a settlement with the accuser for just over $100,000 (approximately 14.615 million won). According to reports at the time, Bill Murray kissed the lips of the staff member who was wearing a mask according to COVID safety protocols on set, while he 'mounted' her body on a prop bed.

As a result of the incident, an internal investigation was conducted, and the project being produced by Searchlight Pictures, a Disney-owned company, was ultimately suspended indefinitely.

Bill Murray also honestly stated that he tried to reconcile at the time, saying, "I don't know what I did that for. I've done the same thing to someone else before, and I thought it was funny, and it was funny every time it happened."

He asserted, "I was wearing a mask, I kissed her, and she was wearing a mask too. I did not touch her; I just kissed through the mask. And she was not a stranger. I had lunch with her several times during the week."

He added, "I thought I knew someone, but I didn’t. I definitely thought it was lighthearted. I thought it was fun. It’s still fun for me to think about kissing someone while wearing a mask. It’s still silly. It was just like that."

Meanwhile, while promoting his new movie 'The Friend,' Bill Murray appeared on 'Watch What Happens Live.' During the show's Q&A session, a viewer called in to ask Watts to recommend her favorite on-screen kiss. Before she could respond, Murray lunged at Watts, grabbed her face, and showered her lips with kisses. After his spontaneous move, Murray gave a thumbs-up to the camera.

Afterward, Naomi Watts told Bill Murray, "You have lipstick on your face," and then asked, "Is my face red?" Murray smiled at the camera and said, "The answer is too easy."

Although Naomi Watts acted stoically, netizens expressed that it was public sexual harassment. Viewers complained, saying, "It’s disgusting," "She must feel so sorry to have to pretend to be okay afterward," "He just humiliated her on live broadcast," "Her face has the grip of death... poor Naomi," "I feel like vomiting," among other criticisms.

Meanwhile, Bill Murray has appeared in a variety of films, including the 'Ghostbusters' series, 'The Black Hole of Love,' 'Is Love Translated?,' 'What About Bob?,' and 'Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania (Ant-Man 3).'
[Photo] YouTube video capture, ⓒGettyimages (No unauthorized reproduction or redistribution)

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