Bill Pullman Shares Surprising Songs He Listened to While Playing Alex Murdaugh, Compares Son Lewis’ ‘Lessons in Chemistry’ to ‘While You Were Sleeping’
10.06.2024 - 21:17
/ variety.com
Emily Longeretta Bill Pullman is a liar. The star of “Murdaugh Murders: The Movie” doesn’t mean to be, but confesses he is one during our interview. The two-part Lifetime movie in which Pullman portrays convicted murderer Alex Murdaugh wasn’t, by any means, a light-hearted project.
And while focusing on heavier topics, some actors turn to “comfort” TV or movies. One of mine, I tell him, is “While You Were Sleeping,” his 1995 rom-com with Sandra Bullock. But he doesn’t have one.
And that might come as a surprise if you’ve watched recent FYC press he’s done. In fact, he was asked about it on a panel three days before our conversation. “They asked a similar question, and I lied,” he whispers.
“I just told my publicist today, I feel so bad! Something about that question, I couldn’t think of anything that was accurate. The only thing I could think of was that it’s comforting to watch actors you know. Bessie Carter, I’ve worked with, and I know she’s in ‘Bridgerton’ and that I want to watch ‘Bridgerton,’ so I said ‘Bridgerton.’” He continues his whisper, “But I’ve never watched ‘Bridgerton.’ I thought, ‘Why did I do this?’ So, you’re giving me a chance to
be honest.” Now speaking at normal volume, he admits he doesn’t really have a feel-good show he puts on in the background, mostly because he gets so engrossed in stories that he can’t look away or multi-task.
So, while filming “Murdaugh Murders,” Pullman turned to distracting himself with audio instead of visuals. Though he doesn’t enjoy diving into his process, Pullman’s team prepared him for our conversation — and he spent the time to really look back at filming. “I do use music a lot.