'Stripes' at 40: P.J. Soles remembers Bill Murray's on-set mood swings and late-night booty calls
In honor of the 40th anniversary of Stripes, P.J. Soles talks about what it was like working with Bill Murray, how he was moody on set, and their intense connection during the kitchen scene. Soles also recounts feeling a flirtation with him, but she was married to Dennis Quaid at the time, so didn't act on it.
Video Transcript
- John.
- You know, you're very pretty for a cop.
ETHAN ALTER: You had just done "Private Benjamin" the year before.
PJ SOLES: Right.
ETHAN ALTER: So you were sort of in a military comedy mindset. Was that one of the reasons why Ivan Reitman came to you for the "Stripes" role?
PJ SOLES: I think possibly. It's funny, because when I went to get my wardrobe when I found out I had the part, I went to Western Costume and they said, oh, well we have your uniform from "Private Benjamin". And obviously, I still fit in and a year later. So boots, uniform, they just put the name patch. Changed that from Wanda Winter to Stella Hanson and gave me an arm band.
So that was cool. But I had just done this movie in Texas, flew for a screen test and read with Harold Ramis, just did a cute scene. And as soon as I landed, my agent called and said, pack your bags. You got the part.
ETHAN ALTER: Bill Murray had just been in "Caddyshack" before that. That movie famously, it had a very drug crazed atmosphere on set. Were there a lot of drugs on the "Stripes" set? What was the experience like being on that set?
PJ SOLES: We were at an army base, so I didn't notice any drugs. And so, that was not what we were doing. We were doing early morning runs with the actual troops. And everybody always asks, was Bill funny? No, he's very moody.
Harold Ramis, hilarious. John Candy, hilarious. John Larroquette, hilarious. I mean, you couldn't stop laughing and then they go, action and you'd have to go, [INAUDIBLE] And pull it together, because they just said something that was ridiculously funny. So my stomach always hurts.
ETHAN ALTER: When you first read the script for "Stripes", what did you see in the character? What did you bring to the character beyond what was on the page?
PJ SOLES: Obviously, knowing Bill Murray from "Saturday Night Live" and I had heard things about him and how hard he was to work with, and that he really liked to ad lib, and I thought that would be fun. So what I wanted to bring was a sort of, you know, obviously a strictness in my rank in my character. I wanted to make sure that I could portray somebody that was serious and I just wasn't the silly girl in the army. And also, trying to keep these guys in line that were always playing up and pranks.
And so, I tried to play the straight man. And I only broke ranks when we did the kitchen scene and that was obviously our best scene and shot at 3:00 in the morning. And we were supposed to be outside for our first kiss and it was pouring rain. This is when we came back to LA. We were supposed to be sitting on a hillside looking at the stars.
And it was pouring and so we came inside and Bill opened the refrigerator and took out a carrot. And I said, what are you going to do with that? And I, knowing Bill said, bring the camera in here. We got that done in 20 minutes. It so fast and just-- that just was so great, because I felt that Bill and I had a real chemistry there. And I finally got him to calm down and to portray a little bit of his inner self, which he seems to like to hide with all his comedy antics.
- You're incredibly head over heels in love with me.
- No.
- You're helplessly, hopelessly, deeply in love with me, aren't you?
- Yes.
ETHAN ALTER: For the kitchen scene, in terms of as he's sort of doing the movement and you're reacting to him and things like that, what's going through your head?
PJ SOLES: I'm an organic actress. I feel like seizing the moment and being in the moment is what's important to me. So being able to do that scene is sort of the epitome of how I like to perform. And so right there, Bill and I, it was like doing a dance.
And you know, you don't have the steps aren't laid out for you and you're just dancing together. So to me, it was a magical on screen moment or scene, because it just happened, you know? And it was just hilarious. And he picked the rolling pin up and all of those little implements that he was literally pulling out of a drawer that he'd never opened before. It just, you know, it was somebody's kitchen.
The guy's a genius. There's just no question. So the whole scene was, all right, Bill, you've got something on your mind and I'm just going to follow you. And luckily, it went to a good place. And even when, you know, there was a golf club there, you know. It was just hilarious on the way out.
And he actually did turn up the heat of the stove, since it was a real. We weren't in a studio. And so when I jump off it like that, it was hot. And I know he did it on purpose. He wanted to burn my buns, but it's OK.
ETHAN ALTER: Did he encourage you to improvise? Were you able to sort of mix it up with the guy?
PJ SOLES: Oh, definitely. I would say everything, pretty much all the little chitchat and definitely the kitchen scene, everything was improvised. And that's Bill's forte. That's obviously why he was hired.
Because what was in the script, there's much more that bill gave to the performance. And probably that's what put him in those moods, is that he knew that, oh, the next thing, I got to come up with something. But it was always spur of the moment and he always came through.
ETHAN ALTER: You mentioned Bill could be moody on set. Were there times where he sort of rubbed you the wrong way?
PJ SOLES: Not me. I'm an easygoing, patient person. Certainly he got to Sean. She got upset a few times. Even with Ivan, there were a few times where he would just be in his trailer and nobody could get him out.
And I would say, PJ, come on, could you just tell him time, time, you know? We're wasting time. Because he would just get in these moods. And so I would do my best and I brought him out. Because I'd go in there and go, really?
You're getting a $1 million. OK, you sit in here and we'll just wait for you and you just count your money. I mean, it was an $8 million budget and he's getting $1 million? Come on.
ETHAN ALTER: You mentioned that you visibly saw him sort of drop his guard in that moment.
PJ SOLES: Yes.
ETHAN ALTER: Like, you saw the real Bill Murray. What was it like? How did you recognize that was the real Bill when that happened?
PJ SOLES: Well he was asking and asking in that scene. You know, you know you love me. Come on, you know you like me. Come on, you know you love me. And there's something in the little twinkle in his eyes.
And when you're on a movie set with somebody for three months and you're in close quarters all the time, there's definitely flirtation. I was married at the time to Dennis Quaid and I had no interest in straying from my marriage. But if I had known how it was going to turn out, I might have thought different.
He's definitely a very sexy guy. He's got charisma. He's very funny when he wants to be. But the moods are kind of a deal breaker.
ETHAN ALTER: I believe you said before he used to give you 3:00 AM booty calls. Is that correct?
PJ SOLES: He would call me every night. Because like I said, he was in a house and said, my car is waiting outside to bring you to my house. Come on, one night. And I go, no, Bill, I got-- You know, I'm tired.
I want to look good on screen. We women, we girls have to look good in the morning. So yes, he persisted, but it was funny.
ETHAN ALTER: Later on in the movie you do have a topless scene with Bill Murray towards the end. Did you-- were you comfortable with that scene? Did he make you comfortable on set or was it-- was that a scream strange--
PJ SOLES: No. He definitely did not make me comfortable. And so, are you referring to the extended scenes there?
ETHAN ALTER: Yes. Yeah, the extended. Yeah.
PJ SOLES: Yeah, yeah. I was happy when they cut those out and then when it was 10 years later, they said, oh by the way, there's this new DVD we're putting out. We need your permission.
So, in any event, yeah, I had to do a fashion show of teddies, you know, the one piece outfits for Bill and Ivan. But in any event, they had a good time doing that. So it wouldn't fly in today's world.
ETHAN ALTER: Do you still keep in touch with Bill?
PJ SOLES: No. I even did a little film festival in Charleston, South Carolina and I thought for sure, I put it out on social media. Bill, I'm going to be there and I have a bar here. I know you live here.
Come by, say hi, you know? Come give me a hug. Send the car for me. OK? No.
He's been married three times and with each wife has had two boys. So I think he likes to just have fun and remain in the shadows. You know, everybody-- he always tells everybody, if you got my number, then that's the way you get a hold of me. But I don't have his number.
ETHAN ALTER: Right.
PJ SOLES: But I would have liked to. It would have been to have seen him. I'm sure I would have gotten that same look that I got out of them on the stove.
- That's the fact, Jack.
- That's a fact, Jack.
