JACK WHITE WAS THE MUSICAL GUEST. >>> OVER THE FIRST TWO YEARS OF "SUNDAY TODAY," WE'VE BROUGHT YOU INTERVIEWS WITH MOVIE STARS, MUSIC ICONS, SUPERSTAR ATHLETES, CEOs OF THE COMPANIES CHANGING THE WORLD, AND A PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES. THIS MORNING, WE ADD ANOTHER LEGEND TO THE LIST. "SNL" ALUM BILL MURRAY IS A MAN OF MYSTERY IN SHOW BUSINESS. FOR ANYONE SHY OF HIS IMMEDIATE FAMILY, THE ONLY WAY TO GET IN TOUCH WITH MURRAY IS BY CALLING A PHONE NUMBER AND LEAVING HIM A MESSAGE. IF HE'S INTERESTED, HE'LL CALL YOU BACK. SO WHEN WE HEARD BILL WAS TEAMING UP AGAIN WITH DIRECTOR WES ANDERSON FOR THE NEW MOVIE "ISLE OF DOGS," WE LEFT A MESSAGE. WE DIDN'T HEAR BACK UNTIL A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO WHEN MURRAY ARRIVED IN THE GREEN ROOM HERE FOR A LIVE "TODAY" SHOW INTERVIEW AND ANNOUNCED HE'D LIKE TO DO THAT WILLIE GEIST SHOW. THAT WAS OUR RETURN CALL. THE NEXT MORNING, BILL MURRAY AND I GOT TOGETHER HERE IN NEW YORK FOR A SUNDAY SIT-DOWN. >> GOOD TO SEE YOU, MAN. THANKS FOR DOING THIS. >> WELL, WE'LL SEE. WE'LL SEE ABOUT THAT. >> WHEN BILL MURRAY REQUESTS AN INTERVIEW, YOU JUST ASK WHEN AND WHERE. THE 67-YEAR-OLD ACTOR IS FAMOUSLY DIFFICULT TO GET AHOLD OF. UNLIKE JUST ABOUT EVERY OTHER CELEBRITY, MURRAY HAS NO MANAGER AND NO PERSONAL PUBLICITY TEAM. IN FACT, IF A DIRECTOR WANTS TO CAST HIM IN A MOVIE, HE OR SHE HAS TO CALL A 1-800 NUMBER AND LEAVE A PITCH AT THE TONE. >> WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO GET YOU TO CALL BACK SOMEBODY WHO LEAVES A MESSAGE ON THAT? WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR? >> WELL, YOU KNOW, YOU WANT MANNERS. YOU REALLY DO. YOU GUYS, GOT TO BE MANNERS INVOLVED. YOU CAN TELL RIGHT AWAY. IT'S LIKE MAIL. YOU CAN LOOK AT IT. YOU CAN GET FOOLED EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE LIKE, THEY GOT ME. LOOKED LIKE IT WAS A WEDDING INVITATION, AND IT WAS AN OPPORTUNITY TO GET A DISCOUNT ON PILLOWS. >> I WAS THE LEAD MASCOT FOR AN UNDEFEATED HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL TEAM. >> MURRAY NEEDED NO CONVINCING TO SIGN ON TO HIS LATEST FILM, THE ANIMATED "ISLE OF DOGS." IT IS HIS EIGHTH COLLABORATION WITH OSCAR-NOMINATED DIRECTOR WES ANDERSON. >> BY THIS TIME, HE JUST SENDS A MESSAGE, SAYS, WILL YOU BE AVAILABLE THE FIRST WEEK IN FEBRUARY? IT'S LIKE MISSION IMPOSSIBLE, IF YOU CHOOSE TO ACCEPT. >> IS THERE ANY UNIVERSE WHERE YOU SAY, YOU KNOW WHAT, WES, I CAN'T DO THIS ONE? OR IS IT AN AUTOMATIC YES FOR HIM? >> IT'S AN AUTOMATIC YES. HE'S MADE MAKING MOVIES HIS LIFE. MAKING MOVIES IS A JOY. >> I THINK THE LITTLE PILOT'S GOT A SCREW LOOSE. >> IN THE MOVIE, MURRAY PLAYS A LOST DOG, HELPING A YOUNG BOY TO FIND HIS LOST DOG. "ISLE OF DOGS" IS NOT MURRAY'S FIRST ROLE IN THE ANIMAL KINGDOM. HE WAS A BADGER IN ANOTHER WES ANDERSON FILM "FANTASTIC MR. FOX." HE WAS THE BEAR IN "THE JUNGLE BOOK." AND HE EVEN PLAYED A GRUMPY CAT IN A MOVIE HE STARRED IN BY MISTAKE. >> FIRST THING MONDAY MORNING, I'M GOING TO GET TO WORK ON LOSING THOSE LAST 20 POUNDS. >> I DID THE GARFIELD MOVIES, WHICH WERE ONE CRAZIER THAN THE NEXT. >> IS THE STORY TRUE ABOUT YOU SIGNING UP FOR THAT MOVIE THINKING IT WAS A DIFFERENT DIRECTOR? >> YEAH, IT'S TRUE. ABSOLUTELY TRUE. AND I DIDN'T REALLY READ THE SCRIPT. I WAS LIKE, I'D LOVE TO DO ONE OF THESE ANIMATED MOVIES. IT WOULD BE FUN. I'M GOING JOEL COHEN, ONE OF MY FAVORITES. THE COHEN BROTHERS, THEY MAKE GREAT MOVIES. WELL, IT WASN'T THAT JOEL COHEN. >> THERE'S AN "H" IN THE ONE YOU SIGNED UP FOR. >> DO YOU HAVE ANY REGRETS? >> GARFIELD, MAYBE. >> ONE OF ONLY A SMALL HANDFUL OF PROFESSIONAL REGRETS IN THE LIFE OF WILLIAM JAMES MURRAY, BORN AND RAISED IN THE SUBURBS OF CHICAGO. ONE OF NINE SIBLINGS, MURRAY HAS THREE BROTHERS WHO ALSO ARE ACTORS. WHEN MURRAY WAS 22, HE JOINED ONE OF THOSE BROTHERS IN THE SECOND CITY, CHICAGO'S FAMED IMPROV COMEDY TROUPE. THEN IN 1977, HE JOINED THE LIKES OF AYKROYD AND RADNER IN A LEGENDARY "SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE" CAST DURING THE SHOW'S EMMY AWARD WINNING SECOND SEASON. >> WHEN YOU THINK BACK ON YOUR "SNL" RUN OF A COUPLE YEARS, HOW HUGE WAS THAT FOR YOU? >> IT WAS AN ENORMOUS THING, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE ALL THE SUDDEN YOU HAD SOME VIABILITY AS A MOVIE ACTOR. AND YOU GOT TO MEET ALL KINDS OF GREAT ACTORS AND SO YOU GO UP AND SEE THE STONES. THE NEXT THING YOU KNOW IT'S LIKE SEVEN HOURS LATER AND YOU'RE PASSING A BOTTLE OF REBEL YELL AROUND INSIDE OF A RESTROOM. THEY PLAYED "BEAST OF BURDEN" AND GO, IT'S NOT QUITE RIGHT. THEN THEY DID IT AGAIN. AND THEY DID IT FIVE MORE TIMES. THEY JUST PLAYED LIVE "BEAST OF BURDEN," LIKE THAT FAR AWAY, FIVE TIMES IN A ROW. AND YOU'RE JUST LIKE, THIS IS -- WHO AM I? HOW THE HELL DID I GET IN HERE? THIS IS RIDICULOUS. >> THERE ARE ALL THE "SNL" STORIES ABOUT THE PARTYING AND THE AFTER PARTIES AND ALL THAT. WAS IT AS CRAZY AS THEY SAY IT WAS? >> WELL, THE AFTER PARTIES HAD SOME INTENSITY. THE KIND OF RELEASE THAT YOU'D GET AFTER THAT -- BECAUSE THE PRESSURE WAS STRONG. YOU KNOW, THEY TALK ABOUT, OH, THE DRUGS AND EVERYTHING. WELL, THERE WERE A LOT OF DRUGS IN THE WORLD BACK THEN. THERE ARE A LOT OF DRUGS IN THE WORLD NOW. WE HAD A JOB TO DO. THERE WAS NO ONE THAT WAS TOO MESSED UP TO WORK, YOU KNOW. EXCEPT OUR GUEST HOSTS SOMETIMES. YOU KNOW, THEY WOULD GET NERVOUS AND MEDICATE THEMSELVES AND BE LIKE, OH, GREAT, NOW WE GOT TO DEAL WITH THIS GUY FOR THE NEXT 90 MINUTES. >> EARLIER THIS YEAR, MURRAY RETURNED TO "SNL'S" STUDIO 8H AS STEVE BANNON. >> IT'S TIME FOR AMERICA TO SLIDE DOWN THE BANNON-STER. >> I MET SOME GIRL THAT WORKED FOR STEVE BANNON THE NEXT DAY. I WORK FOR HIM! I THOUGHT SHE WAS GOING TO COME APART. I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT THAT MEANT. I DIDN'T KNOW IF SHE WANTED ME TO RESCUE HER, CALL THE POLICE, OR WHAT. >> AS HIS FOUR-SEASON RUN AT "SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE" WAS WINDING DOWN, MURRAY TURNED TO THE BIG SCREEN AND PLAYED MEMORABLE ROLES IN SOME OF THE MOST QUOTABLE COMEDY CLASSICS OF ALL TIME. >> IT JUST DOESN'T MATTER! CHICKS DIG ME. WE CAME, WE SAW, WE KICKED ITS ASS. >> "MEATBALLS," "CADDYSHACK," "STRIPES." YOU WERE HITTING HOME RUN AFTER HOME RUN. WHAT DID THAT DO TO YOUR LIFE, ESPECIALLY ONCE "GHOSTBUSTERS" BECAME THIS INTERNATIONAL PHENOMENON? >> WELL, IT WAS FUN. BEING A GHOSTBUSTER WAS A GREAT JOB. PEOPLE ACTUALLY BELIEVED WE WERE SOME SORT OF SPECIAL UNIT. WE WERE WALKING ON FIFTH AVENUE WITH ALL THE GUNS AND EVERYTHING, AND PEOPLE ARE LIKE, EVERYTHING ALL RIGHT IN HERE? YOU KNOW, WE'RE JUST CHECKING THINGS OUT, PICKING THINGS UP AND SAYING, WE BETTER TAKE A LOOK AT THIS. I'M GOING TO GET THIS BACK TO YOU. >> WITH OTHER CULT COMEDY FAVORITES LIKE "WHAT ABOUT BOB" AND "GROUNDHOG DAY" ON HIS RESUME, MURRAY BEGAN TO LOOK FOR SOMETHING DIFFERENT. HE WON CRITICAL PRAISE FOR HIS ROLE IN "RUSHMORE," AND FIVE YEARS LATER, HE EARNED A BEST ACTOR OSCAR NOMINATION WHEN HE STARRED IN "LOST IN TRANSLATION." >> THE MORE YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE AND WHAT YOU WANT, THE LESS YOU LET THINGS UPSET YOU. >> THINK HOLLYWOOD LOOKED AT YOU DIFFERENTLY AFTER THAT? YOU WERE NOMINATED FOR THE OSCAR. THEY SAW YOU AS THE FUNNY GUY AND WENT, WAIT A MINUTE. >> PROBABLY, BUT THAT'S DULL. IF YOU CAN BAKE A CAKE, DO YOU THINK YOU CAN MAKE A PIE? PROBABLY. IF YOU CAN DO COMEDY, YOU CAN DO KB DRAMA. IT'S NOT ALWAYS GOING THE OTHER WAY BECAUSE COMEDY IS HARD. I CAN MAKE YOU CRY IN A SECOND. PUNCH YOU IN THE NOSE. BUT TO MAKE YOU LAUGH, THAT'S HARDER. HARDER. YOU KNOW, THAT'S HARD TO DO.
