Bill Murray has credited a painting with stopping his thoughts of suicide after deciding he was “ready to die” when he was struggling as a young comedian.
“I remember my first experience on the stage — I was so bad, I just walked out on the street and started walking,” the 70-year-old actor said in a recently resurfaced clip from a 2014 interview. The comments were noted by the Today show in an article published Friday. (RELATED: Bill Murray Bartends At His Son’s Bar In Brooklyn)
“I walked for a couple of hours and I realized I had walked the wrong direction — not just the wrong direction in terms of where I lived, but the wrong direction in terms of a desire to stay alive,” he added. (RELATED: ‘Caddyshack’ Star Bill Murray Just Launched A Golf Clothing Line)
Bill Murray talks about the painting that stopped him from committing suicide after being asked if there were a moment how art has made a difference in his life. Watch til the end to see the painting. pic.twitter.com/LZzfn0eNrS
— Spence, Todd (@Todd_Spence) August 2, 2021
The legendary comedian and actor said he decided to walk towards Lake Michigan because if he was “going to die” maybe he’d “float for a while.”
On his way there, he decided to step into the Art Institute of Chicago and even though he didn’t feel like he belonged there he walked through because he “was ready to die.”
He then saw a painting of a peasant woman standing in a field with a bright orange sunrise behind her. The painting is called “The Song of the Lark,” a piece of art by French artist Jules Adolphe Breton from 1884. It can be seen below.
If you want more information on the painting or to see it in person… https://t.co/gcjkf52kuU
— Spence, Todd (@Todd_Spence) August 2, 2021
“I’ve always loved this painting,” the “Ghostbusters” star shared. “I saw it that day and I just thought, ‘Well, there’s a girl who doesn’t have a lot of prospects, but the sun is coming up anyway, and she’s got another chance at it.’ So I think that gave me some sort of feeling that I, too, am a person and get another chance every day the sun comes up.”